Messi mesmerizes Maracana as France, Switzerland seal key wins
Print Edition
A BREATHTAKING last-gasp goal; a first for goal-line technology; happy and cheering fans. What else could the World Cup want? Oh yes, a stunning goal by Lionel Messi for Argentina at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro.
The World Cup continues to delight in Brazil, with 37 goals in four days and nine alone on Sunday.
On Sunday evening in Rio, in front of tens of thousands of cheering Argentinian fans, Messi produced a moment of magic to remind a global audience why he is for many the best player in the world. The other player who competes for that title, Cristiano Ronaldo, was to appear when Portugal plays its first game, a tough clash against Germany, yesterday.
Sunday evening in Rio was reserved for Messi.
The team, tipped to go far at the World Cup, was mediocre but managed a 2-1 victory over debutante Bosnia-Herzegovina. Messi’s shimmering run and a shot that squeezed into the goal off the post gave Argentina a 2-0 lead.
Argentina looked set to turn its opener into a runaway game when a Messi freekick was glanced on and turned into his own goal by defender Sead Kolasinac as early as the third minute.
The Balkan rookies though, held firm until Messi finally awoke from his slumber with the standout second goal. Yet Argentina’s frailties were laid bare five minutes from time when Vedad Ibisevic scored a close-in goal. Iran and Nigeria were opening their chase of Group F leader Argentina yesterday.
Messi’s 65th-minute goal put the seal on the action on the cup’s fourth day, including the first decisive decision by FIFA’s goal-line technology during France’s 3-0 win over Honduras.
The French relied on two goals and a decisive move from Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema to keep pace with Switzerland in Group E. The Swiss turned their match into a real thriller, capping yet another come-from-behind win with a breathtaking final-minute goal to beat Ecuador 2-1.
FIFA may have been to blame when France and Honduras had to start their game without anthems, but it made sure its new goal-line technology was working to perfection.
France was already leading 1-0 when Benzema’s shot hit the inside of the post. The ball bounced back along the line before goalkeeper Noel Valladares flailed at the ball and briefly fumbled it over his own line before slapping it out.
It could have been controversy, but technology made it crystal clear, with seven video cameras proving the ball had crossed the line and alerting the referee through his watch.
Benzema would have preferred scoring it directly since it would have given him the first hat trick of the World Cup after he scored the opening penalty and added a second in the 72nd minute.
“He scored and he was decisive for us,” said France coach Didier Deschamps.
In Brasilia, with the three minutes of injury time nearly up and Ecuador and Switzerland tied at 1-1, the South Americans broke through with a great chance. Swiss midfielder Valon Behrami, however, put in a lunging block in the penalty box on Michael Arroyo.
Then, Behrami sped off, riding a rough tackle, rolling over and recovering the ball to set up the winning move that was finished off by Haris Seferovic. “How many times are you going to see a chance in one box ending up as a goal in the other,” asked Switzerland defender Johan Djourou.
“Never give up” is turning into the motto of the tournament since 5 of 9 games so far have been come-from-behind victories.
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