Lionel Messi is fuming at himself for missing a penalty during Argentina’s 2-0 victory over Poland after he missed the opportunity to score a ninth World Cup goal on Wednesday, November 30, 2022.
Messi saw his dead-ball strike saved by the strong hand of Poland shot-stopper Wojciech Szczesny, with many feeling that was justice served after the controversial penalty decision.
Szcezny grazed Messi’s face with his glove as he leaped to intercept a cross that the striker headed off-target, with social media left stunned by the decision of the referee.
His miss, Sczezny’s second penalty save of the tournament, saw Messi join the record books alongside Ghana’s Asamoah Gyan as he become just the second-ever player to miss two standard-time penalties at the World Cup since 1966.
Messi said as per Argentina’s official Twitter account: ‘I’m angry for having missed the penalty, but the team came out stronger after that mistake of mine. We knew that once the first goal went in, it would change the game.
‘The previous game (a 2-0 win over Mexico) gave us a lot of peace of mind and we went out onto the pitch thinking we had to win.’
Wednesday’s victory in Qatar see’s pre-tournament favourites Argentina set up a knockout stage clash with minnows Australia.
The Socceroos stunned Denmark in a must-win match on Wednesday as Mathew Leckie rounded off a brilliant counter-attack to claim a famous World Cup victory in the heat of the Middle East.
However, despite 35 places separating the two teams in FIFA’s official men’s rankings, the 35-year-old star has played down talk of an easy game.
The six-time Ballon d’Or title holder admitted ‘anyone can beat anyone’ in the World Cup tournament layout and called on his teammates to ‘prepare’ properly against Saturday’s opponents.
‘The match against Australia is going to be very difficult. ‘Anyone can beat anyone, everything is very even.
‘We have to prepare the game in the best way as we always do. We must be calm and go game by game.
‘Now another World Cup begins and hopefully we can continue to maintain what we did today.’
Messi is hoping to put previous miseries behind him as he attempts to replicate the success of Argentina icon Diego Maradona by taking the country to their first World Cup title since 1986.
Kylian Mbappe BREAKS Lionel Messi’s Record
Kylian Mbappe has beaten Lionel Messi’s record to become the youngest-ever player to reach the milestone of attaining 40 Champions League goals after his strike against Juventus. Mbappe reached the milestone after scoring a sensational opener in Paris Saint-Germain’s 2-1 win away at Juventus on Wednesday evening.
Mbappe now stands as the youngest player to net the most goals in the European competition. The young player achieved the total at the age of 23 years and 316 days, while Messi, the Argentine achieved it in 24 years and 130 days – Mbappe beating Messi by 179 days, a total of about six months.
However, former Monaco forward still has a long way to go to catch up with the 35-year-old’s all-time total of 129, second only to Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo’s record haul of 140.
Mbappe currently lies 19th in the all-time list, but is only six goals behind Eusebio and Filippo Inzaghi in 12th and could conceivably surpass their total by the end of this year’s competition.
He is in outstanding scoring form this season, with 18 goals in just 18 games in all competitions, meaning it could be his most prolific season ever.
Against the Italian giants at Juventus Stadium, Mbappe once again demonstrated his brilliance, nutmegging marker Federico Gatti, cut inside a sliding Manuel Locatelli, and bent a brilliant shot off the post and into the far corner.
Up next Christophe Galtier’s side travel to Lorient on Sunday knowing a win could extend their five-point lead at the top of the Ligue 1 table.
