For Lionel Messi, the crowning glory beckons. As Argentina’s gaze zeroed in on a third World Cup triumph, it was impossible to ignore their iconic leader and the compelling narrative around him. It was mainly because nobody inside this arena could take their eyes off him.
Messi got Argentina up and running with a cooly converted penalty – his fifth goal of the tournament, taking him level with France’s Kylian Mbappé in the race for the Golden Boot – and he was involved at the beginning of the killer second for Julián Álvarez. What a run it was from Álvarez, all power and intent; the finish so simple after what had gone before.
