Messi, sparks with Van Gaal. «His teams throw balls»-Corriere.it

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We didn’t deserve Neymar and Messi out of the World Cup together. Leo was there, he was there for 120′ plus penalties, this time he never left the match, he suffered in extra time when a brace from a semi-unknown Besiktas striker was ruining the plans, he launched into brawls (What are you looking at, silly, go away, to a Dutchman), and in the end he took it out on the referee (I can’t say what I think, but Fifa has to intervene) and with Van Gaalof which he evidently shares Di Maria’s opinion (He sells everyone to let his football teams play well, but only random balls arrive in the area). For a few minutes they seemed enough.

Leo had opened it with one of the most beautiful technical gestures seen in Qatar. One can focus on the footwork, which dance rapids. Or he can scrutinize the eyes, there is an imperceptible glance to the right, a matter of an instant, the time to memorize coordinates and position, like a GPS, with his face completely turned away because without looking that Leo fishing Molina where it should be. The Game, because the kingdoms of the world skies are not full of goals alone. His assist (5 in the knockout stages of the World Cup, one more than Pel) sends Van Gaal’s cage into a tailspin because Leo concentrates everything, attention, fouls and opponents, and his teammates are free to go shooting. Of course, Leo needs to pass it to him as he knows. It seems to be enough, let alone when he goes on the spot and coldly scores the 2-0, he takes Batistuta as the best Argentine scorer at the World Cup and it seems like a walk in the semi-final, just a pity that free-kick out of nothing.

For 100 minutes the comparison with Maradona of ’86 becomes a little clearer, like a photograph that slowly catches fire, and if we want to be honest, almost Valdano, Bertoni, Burruchaga were stronger than these brothers that Leo is carrying on his shoulders together with a country that compares him to Santa Claus, and hopefully not to the Child Jesus too. Then Weghorst arrives to roll up the flag that Cambiasso waves in the grandstand, and then, as in 2014, it’s penalties. It ends the same way Leo is not wrong. Leo stay here.