Chapter 962 Messi, please stand up!

With the whistle of the referee from Colombia, the full time of the game has come again!

Why again?

Because the full game time has just expired once, and now it is the second time.

Yes, extra time, now it's the 120th minute.

This is the National Stadium in Santiago, the capital of Chile. The America's Cup final is underway, with Argentina facing host Chile. The score is now zero to zero, and neither side has been able to score a goal during the regular game time.

The game lasted from the afternoon to the evening and everyone was very tired.

Messi dragged his tired but sweaty body and walked slowly off the court with heavy steps.

"Come, have a drink of water!"

Aguero, a good friend who had been substituted early, came up to him and handed him a bottle of water.

Messi unscrewed the bottle cap and drank it in small sips. He didn't dare drink too fast.

But in the end, he raised it above his head, poured it over his head and face, and let out a sigh of relief.

Di Maria also walked over slowly from the side. He was on the court just now, but he strained his right leg and left the court in less than half an hour. If it weren't for this, I believe Argentina's situation would not be so passive.

At least Messi is sure that if Di Maria is there, Argentina will definitely have a chance to score!

But now...it’s all fate!

"How is it? Are you okay?" Di Maria asked with concern.

During the World Cup in Brazil last year, Argentina lost the final and Di Maria cried like a tearful person, very unwilling to accept the result.

Therefore, like Messi, he is eager to win a major national team championship to fill the gap in honors.

Messi nodded. "It's okay, I can hold on!"

In fact, his body was really tired and exhausted, and he was relying on a lot of strength to keep going.

Everyone saw it all, except for those fans who were unaware of the situation who were still criticizing his poor form.

Just kidding, as a professional player, playing so many games a year, scoring so many goals, and being able to maintain this state and keep this desire to play, it’s pretty good!

As good friends, they don't need to say much, they understand each other.

So, the three of them were silent.

Just at this time, head coach Martino walked out of the coaching seat and waved to the players, obviously starting to arrange the penalty kick.

So everyone gathered around immediately.

"Well, there's nothing more to say now. I believe that even if we go into a penalty shootout, we can still win. You have to have confidence in yourselves!"

Martino is making the final mobilization

.

But few responded.

It is obvious that in the eyes of many people in the team, Martino is not qualified to coach them.

Martino saw this, but there was nothing he could do.

Wherever there are people, there will be rivers and lakes. There must be division of labor for who is on the list and who is not, who is the core and who is the assistant. And as long as there is division of labor, there will definitely be people who are happy and people who complain.

You know, in the Argentine team, many players are well-deserved core players in their respective club teams.

Let me ask you, who in this national team would be willing to help others?

Even if the core is Messi!

Martino has heard players' private discussions and complaints more than once, such as "So what about Messi?", "Is Messi strong?", "I don't think Messi is much better than me?", and many similar remarks.

In Martino's opinion, Messi must be the undisputed core of the Argentina national team.

Di Maria, Aguero, Mascherano, Biglia, Otamendi and other players assisted.

But the problem is that Argentina now lacks a midfield organizer.

During the World Cup in Brazil, Messi had to be sacrificed and asked to retreat more to midfield to participate in organization.

It can be said that without Messi's sacrifice, Argentina would not have been able to reach the World Cup final.

After the World Cup, who will be the midfield organizer to share Messi's pressure and allow Argentina's biggest star to devote himself to the offense and exert his powerful offensive power in Barcelona has become a hot topic among Argentine fans.

Pastore is the popular choice. The whole country hopes that he can liberate Messi, and he himself is full of eager expectations for this and believes that he can do it.

But what is the reality?

Pastore's appearance did not activate Messi. On the contrary, he still played according to his style during his time at Paris Saint-Germain. He hoped that he could control the midfield and let Messi and other teammates play around him.

The most direct manifestation is that in many situations where Messi and Di Maria had already run into open space, he did not choose to pass the ball.

The core players’ way of playing is, I can pass the ball to you or not, the choice is mine.

Pastore played in every game, but Argentina's midfield seemed so chaotic, and this is why.

The reason why Martino replaced him in every game was to try to make some changes, but the competition was too tight and he had no choice.

But that’s not even the worst.

The worst thing about this game was that Di Maria left the field early, which directly disrupted Martino's plan and forced him to replace Lavezzi early.

.

A player who dared to spray water in the face of his head coach in front of the world's media at the World Cup.

More importantly, although he has a close personal relationship with Messi, on the football field, he is the player in the Argentine national team who is most unfriendly to Messi. People have nicknamed him "never pass the ball to Messi", and he is the one!

It is conceivable that in this situation, no matter how good Martino is, he can't turn the situation around.

However, all of this is in the past and must be suppressed for the time being.

The top priority now is the penalty shootout!

"Who among you is willing to kick the first ball?" Martino asked in a deep voice, glancing at the eleven players in front of him.

Everyone knows the importance of a penalty shootout. The first person to take a penalty kick carries the heaviest pressure, as well as the hopes of everyone on the team. He plays a key role in deciding the start of the game.

"Who's coming?" Martino asked again.

The Argentine international players around looked at each other, but no one took the initiative to express their opinions.

At this time, whoever kicks the ball first and scores is certainly a hero, but if he misses, he is a sinner.

So, it seems that many people are a little hesitant.

Martino was a little disappointed when he saw this. He wished everyone would scramble for it, but...

"I'll do it!" Messi took the initiative to step forward, glanced at his teammates with a firm gaze, and then looked at the head coach.

"I'll take the first kick!"

Martino looked at Messi, who was short in stature but carried the hopes of a team and even a country on his shoulders.

At this moment, he really thought of Maradona!

Although Messi's personality is not as domineering as Maradona, he is extremely strong inside.

If I remember correctly, Messi was also the first one to score in the penalty shootout against the Netherlands in last year's World Cup.

What is the core? What is the soul?

This is the core! This is the soul!

…………

…………

"The penalty shootout officially began, and the first Chilean player to take the penalty was Fernandez."

"Wow, good job, a powerful shot to the top left corner!"

“This is an absolute blind spot!”

"Argentine goalkeeper Romero was completely unstoppable. This was an absolute blind spot!"

"Let's look at the first player to take a penalty in Argentina. It was Messi."

"The whole stadium was booing. Was this an attempt to disrupt and influence Messi?"

"Well done, the ball went in, to the bottom right corner, the ball was going very fast, even though Bravo judged the direction correctly, he was totally unable to stop it, 1-1, the two sides tied again."

!”

"In the second penalty shootout, Chile chose Vidal!"

"The ball went in, pushed into the bottom left corner, both times chose the left side, Chile seemed to be well prepared."

"Argentina's second penalty taker was Higuain..."

"Wow, my God, Higuain, this penalty kick was too high!"

"Oh my god, the situation is not good now, two to one!"

"It's a bit of a disadvantage for Argentina right now."

"In the third penalty shootout, Chile selected Aranguiz."

"Okay, the ball goes in, bottom right corner!"

"3-1, Argentina is under a lot of pressure now."

"We saw the Argentine players cheering on the third player, Banega, who took the penalty."

"His penalty kick was crucial, Argentina can no longer afford to make any more mistakes."

"Banega takes the penalty..."

"Ah, the ball was saved, Bravo, Bravo saved the penalty!"

"Argentina, 3 to 1, oh my god, the current situation is too bad for Argentina!"

"We saw Messi holding his head and looking on, he looked like he was on the verge of collapse!"

"In the fourth round of the penalty shootout, as long as Sanchez scores the penalty, Argentina will only be the runner-up!"

"This is too cruel for Messi. Before the America's Cup, he told the media that he was willing to give up everything he had in exchange for a national team championship. He longed to leave a precious championship trophy for his country."

"However, this superstar who has won almost all the club championship trophies has never made a breakthrough in the national team."

"Sanchez appeared at the penalty spot. Romero on the opposite side failed to save a penalty in this game. I don't know if he can perform a miracle this time."

"The ball goes in!"

"Sanchez scored a goal!"

"4 to 1, Chile won and won the America's Cup!"

"Argentina, Messi, can only be runner-up!"

“This is really something that is quite difficult to accept.”

"Just last year, Messi led Argentina to the World Cup finals, but ended up with a runner-up. Now, he once again led the Argentine national team to the finals, but what awaits him is another runner-up!"

"We see that Messi has completely collapsed!"

"At last year's World Cup, Aguero and Di Maria both cried, but Messi was very strong and he didn't cry!"

"But tonight, at the National Stadium in Santiago, Chile, he cried and broke down.

!”

"It's really sad. He has done his best!"

"After playing dozens of club games, he dragged his tired and injured body to lead the national team of his beloved country, fighting all the way, and finally reached the America's Cup final. In the end, what awaited him was another runner-up!"

"We can't blame Messi any more, he has done well enough."

"This is a tragedy. We saw Messi's tears. I believe that at this moment, there will be countless fans around the world crying with Messi."

"He's already 28 years old. To some extent, he may never win any national team honors again."

"His tears will make countless people break their hearts along with him."

"But we have to say, Messi, please stand up!"

"Tonight, on this football field, although you lost the game, you won respect. No matter how others view you or what they say, you are the world's number one superstar!"

The camera was always aimed at Messi, at the man sitting on the grass and crying!