Lionel Messi and Angel Di Maria celebrate Di Maria's winning goal, on an assist from Messi, late in extra time on Tuesday at the 2014 World Cup round of 16 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Diego Azubel / EPA / July 1, 2014
Lionel Messi and Angel Di Maria celebrate Di Maria's winning goal, on an assist from Messi, late in extra time on Tuesday at the 2014 World Cup round of 16 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Diego Azubel / EPA / JShow more

Argentina clearly more than Lionel Messi and ‘10 others’



At one stage of Tuesday night’s match between Argentina and Switzerland, a journalist in the press box at Arena Corinthians suggested the South American behemoths consisted merely of Lionel Messi “and 10 other guys”.

It is a theory often used to explain why the little magician has struggled to stamp his authority on a major international tournament. Yet it is not in the slightest bit true.

Looking through the Argentina squad, 16 of the 23 players are employed in Europe’s top leagues. From Ezequiel Lavezzi at Paris Saint-Germain to Angel Di Maria at Real Madrid to Gonzalo Higuain at Napoli and Javier Mascherano at Barcelona. There is no lack of talent nor experience.

What is lacking, is a system that gets Messi on the ball without being suffocated by a swarm of opposition players.

At Barcelona, where he has scored 342 times in 357 appearances, his teammates are comfortable holding the ball, keeping possession, moving it around and switching positions. Messi is able to float around and, when he is marked, move position. Someone else can fill the space.

His teammates also demand attention. He plays as No 10, but is often found on either wing, deep or at the front of the attack.

Tuesday night, Argentina finished their 1-0 victory with 61 per cent possession, but they never impressed, rarely switched positions, never passed the ball slickly in midfield and, Di Maria aside, nobody was particularly threatening.

Switzerland could afford to focus on Messi, who stood for long periods in the centre circle, seemingly uninterested, but with his head constantly moving, scoping out the scene, memorising where every player on the pitch was going.

For 118 minutes, he had at least two players marking him. At one stage he hugged the touchline with two red shirts blocking him like bad guys in a dark alley, yet he still managed to wriggle his way through the gap and into a little space.

If Argentina is Messi and 10 others, it is not because the others are average; it is because Messi is on a different level entirely.

Having netted in his country’s first three games, he started against the Swiss knowing that to score for Argentina in a fourth consecutive match would see him equal another record, jointly held by Guillermo Stabile and Hernan Crespo.

He did not manage it, but his pass that led to Di Maria’s decisive goal in the closing stages of extra time tied him with Mario Kempes with four assists for Argentina at the World Cup. Only Juan Sebastian Veron, who amassed five, and Diego Maradona, with eight, have managed more.

The entire movement of Messi in the build-up to the crucial goal was reminiscent of El Diego, the legend whose shadow the Barcelona forward will never shrug off.

At the 1990 World Cup in Italy, Maradona produced a similar play, also in a second-round match and one that also ended 1-0. Against Brazil, he picked up the ball in midfield, rode a tackle, ran through the middle and laid off to Claudio Caniggia.

The greatest differences between the two goals was that Messi passed forward into space rather than a reverse pass through bodies, while Di Maria fired first time past Diego Beneglio rather than taking the ball around the goalkeeper – and the opposition on Tuesday night was not Brazil.

Yet it seems almost destined that it might be one day soon. Neither Argentina nor Brazil have impressed over the past three weeks, yet Messi and Neymar have left their marks, dragging their teams to victory when required.

With the two South American sides capable of meeting only in the final (or, the third-place play-off), there is a certain sense of inevitability that these two greatest of rivals will go head to head on the world’s grandest stage.

It would be the dream final, the one that on paper and in people’s imaginations, this engrossing tournament deserves.

From what we have seen so far, however, the football might not be pretty.

gmeenaghan@thenational.ae

Follow us on Twitter @SprtNationalUAE

Dates for the diary

To mark Bodytree’s 10th anniversary, the coming season will be filled with celebratory activities:

  • September 21 Anyone interested in becoming a certified yoga instructor can sign up for a 250-hour course in Yoga Teacher Training with Jacquelene Sadek. It begins on September 21 and will take place over the course of six weekends.
  • October 18 to 21 International yoga instructor, Yogi Nora, will be visiting Bodytree and offering classes.
  • October 26 to November 4 International pilates instructor Courtney Miller will be on hand at the studio, offering classes.
  • November 9 Bodytree is hosting a party to celebrate turning 10, and everyone is invited. Expect a day full of free classes on the grounds of the studio.
  • December 11 Yogeswari, an advanced certified Jivamukti teacher, will be visiting the studio.
  • February 2, 2018 Bodytree will host its 4th annual yoga market.
THE LIGHT

Director: Tom Tykwer

Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger

Rating: 3/5

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Paatal Lok season two

Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy 

Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong

Rating: 4.5/5

When is VAR used?

Goals

Penalty decisions

Direct red-card incidents

Mistaken identity

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: ARDH Collective
Based: Dubai
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
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Number of employees: 4
The Details

Kabir Singh

Produced by: Cinestaan Studios, T-Series

Directed by: Sandeep Reddy Vanga

Starring: Shahid Kapoor, Kiara Advani, Suresh Oberoi, Soham Majumdar, Arjun Pahwa

Rating: 2.5/5 

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How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

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RESULTS

Time; race; prize; distance

4pm: Maiden; (D) Dh150,000; 1,200m
Winner: General Line, Xavier Ziani (jockey), Omar Daraj (trainer)

4.35pm: Maiden (T); Dh150,000; 1,600m
Winner: Travis County, Adrie de Vries, Ismail Mohammed

5.10pm: Handicap (D); Dh175,000; 1,200m
Winner: Scrutineer, Tadhg O’Shea, Ali Rashid Al Raihe

5.45pm: Maiden (D); Dh150,000; 1,600m
Winner: Yulong Warrior, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar

6.20pm: Maiden (D); Dh150,000; 1,600m
Winner: Ejaaby, Jim Crowley, Doug Watson

6.55pm: Handicap (D); Dh160,000; 1,600m
Winner: Storyboard, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar

7.30pm: Handicap (D); Dh150,000; 2,200m
Winner: Grand Dauphin, Gerald Mosse, Ahmed Al Shemaili

8.05pm: Handicap (T); Dh190,000; 1,800m
Winner: Good Trip, Tadhg O’Shea, Ali Rashid Al Raihe

Director: Laxman Utekar

Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna

Rating: 1/5

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Bournemouth 0
Liverpool 4
(Salah 25', 48', 76', Cook 68' OG)

Man of the match: Andrew Robertson (Liverpool)

India squad for fourth and fifth Tests

Kohli (c), Dhawan, Rahul, Shaw, Pujara, Rahane (vc), Karun, Karthik (wk), Pant (wk), Ashwin, Jadeja, Pandya, Ishant, Shami, Umesh, Bumrah, Thakur, Vihari

A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
  • 2018: Formal work begins
  • November 2021: First 17 volumes launched 
  • November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
  • October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
  • November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
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Arabian Gulf League fixtures:

Friday:

  • Emirates v Hatta, 5.15pm
  • Al Wahda v Al Dhafra, 5.25pm
  • Al Ain v Shabab Al Ahli Dubai, 8.15pm

Saturday:

  • Dibba v Ajman, 5.15pm
  • Sharjah v Al Wasl, 5.20pm
  • Al Jazira v Al Nasr, 8.15pm
Cryopreservation: A timeline
  1. Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
  2. Ovarian tissue surgically removed
  3. Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
  4. Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
  5. Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
Scorebox

Dubai Hurricanes 31 Dubai Sports City Eagles 22

Hurricanes

Tries: Finck, Powell, Jordan, Roderick, Heathcote

Cons: Tredray 2, Powell

Eagles

Tries: O’Driscoll 2, Ives

Cons: Carey 2

Pens: Carey

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The biog

Family: Parents and four sisters

Education: Bachelor’s degree in business management and marketing at American University of Sharjah

A self-confessed foodie, she enjoys trying out new cuisines, her current favourite is the poke superfood bowls

Likes reading: autobiographies and fiction

Favourite holiday destination: Italy

Posts information about challenges, events, runs in other emirates on the group's Instagram account @Anagowrunning

Has created a database of Emirati and GCC sportspeople on Instagram @abeermk, highlight: Athletes

Apart from training, also talks to women about nutrition, healthy lifestyle, diabetes, cholesterol, blood pressure

Company name: Farmin

Date started: March 2019

Founder: Dr Ali Al Hammadi 

Based: Abu Dhabi

Sector: AgriTech

Initial investment: None to date

Partners/Incubators: UAE Space Agency/Krypto Labs 

Biography

Favourite Meal: Chicken Caesar salad

Hobbies: Travelling, going to the gym

Inspiration: Father, who was a captain in the UAE army

Favourite read: Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki and Sharon Lechter

Favourite film: The Founder, about the establishment of McDonald's