Bring together the two largest fans of the World Cup in the biggest stadium of the tournament, on a Saturday at ten o’clock at night. There will be no alcohol (and if there is, in reduced doses and at a golden price), but it won’t matter too much because if there are two fans that have landed in Qatar willing to make themselves known and live the World Cup as if it were the last, it is the Argentines and the Mexicans.
The result will be fantastic: a great football atmosphere, stands full and overflowing with passion88,966 viewers aware that a World Cup is only played every four years, even if it is in a country like Qatar without a soccer tradition.
Argentina and Mexico had to face each other in an agonizing match. Especially for Argentina, defeated by Arabia on the first day. Mexico also played with pressure, after their sad goalless draw against Poland on the first day.
There was some fear that the incidents of last Thursday would be repeated, an isolated fight between Argentine and Mexican fans in the center of Doha: nothing happened in the preliminaries, simply a green tide and another albiceleste flooded the surroundings of the futuristic Lusail stadium, the largest stadium in the tournament, which will host the final.
Lusail is a neighborhood located in the north of Doha that seems to rival West Bay in terms of spectacularity: buildings that do not skimp on lighting, a shopping center called Place Vendôme, emulating Paris, and the majestic Lusail stadium, which stands in the middle of an esplanade immense, populated with shops and restaurants.
Whistles for Tata
On this stage, the more than 80,000 fans who filled the stadium moved to watch the match between Argentina and Mexico: already in the stadium, there were whistles for the Argentine Tata Martino (Mexican coach, former Barça coach), whistles coming from the stands mexican. Tata had already warned in the previous one that in Mexico they criticize him more even than in Barça, which is saying.
While the person in charge of the public address system played ‘Life is live’, perhaps in memory of Maradona’s mythical warm-up with Napoli, Argentines and Mexicans competed with chants in the stands.
And dotted around the stadium, Qatari spectators, dressed in their white robes, theoretically neutral and stunned by so much passion: This is how you live a World CupThe Aztecs and the Albicelestes seemed to tell them, in the most passionate duel to date of the strange World Cup in Qatar.
a burst of joy
It did not accompany the game, and the tension was increasing. Until halfway through the second half, Messi controlled a ball up front and was wise enough to connect a hard, dry shot to Ochoa’s left post: he sang the goal like few others in his career, feverish together with a crowd that liberated All the accumulated nerves.
When Mexico had not yet taken out of the center, Messi kept cheering the stands, claiming support, shouting that Argentina is still alive. It was the vitamin that the albiceleste fans needed, always enthusiastic but fearful of finding themselves out of the tournament in the second game.
The Mexicans countered with ‘yes, you can!’, but their selection is not enough. In the end, the game in the stands was also won by Argentina.
The tears of Pablo Aimar
Related news
The second and final goal, the work of Enzo Fernández at 87′, fired at the entire Argentine bench. He was moved to see Pablo Aimar (one of Messi’s idols, now Scaloni’s assistant) cry his eyes out on the bench.
Argentines are still alive, more than ever. They breathed a sigh of relief, waiting to be able to move on to the round of 16 even as group leaders. The Mexicans resignedlacking a goal on the field but not breathless in the stands, forced to beat Arabia on the last day and wait for Argentina to beat Poland to move on to the round of 16.