BRAZIL 2014: Argentina hope to break quarters jinx against Belgium
A combination of two file pictures shows Argentinian forward Lionel Messi (left) playing the ball during the International friendly match against Romania in Bucharest on March 5, and Belgium’s forward Eden Hazard running with the ball in Solna on June 1, 2014. PHOTO I AFP
What you need to know:
- Argentina have reached this stage because of the exceptional brilliance of the world’s best player Lionel Messi. It is a strength any team would want in Brazil .
Rio de Janeiro. Argentines dread quarter-finals. The Albiceleste have exited at that stage thrice in the last four World Cups.
Standing in their path to a first semi-final place since 1990 is a Belgium side running on a wave of momentum.
Argentina have reached this stage because of the exceptional brilliance of the world’s best player Lionel Messi. It is a strength any team would want in Brazil – having the game’s ultimate No.10 in your side. Yet it can also be a weakness.
It is that weakness that Belgium will try to exploit at Brasilia’s Estadio Nacional; Argentina’s over-reliance on Messi. Get Messi out and Argentina are an ordinary side. With him, they look potential world beaters.
The Belgians have proved to have the most astute bench in the tournament. No team has scored more goals off the bench than Marc Wilmots’ side.
Divorck Origi, the son of ex-Harambee Stars international Mike Okoth, has showed maturity beyond his years when he has started or come off the bench for Belgium.
Origi will definitely play against Argentina. Whether Wilmots entrusts him wilth a starting remains to be seen. If he benches him, Romelu Lukaku will get the nod.
Despite the oddity of Belgium’s forwards scoring as substitutes, either player will be itching to start a game of so much significance.
The challenge for any team playing Argentina is that Messi requires 24-hr surveillance. In essence, two or three bodies ought to be stationed to track his every movement. Sometimes it works. In fact many times it works.
But when, not if, he evades his markers and peels away advancing to goal all of a sudden one or two Argentine forwards are freed, the Angel Di Maria winner against Switzerland being a prime example.
If Belgium stop Messi, they will stop Argentina. It’s not rocket science. The challenge though is how to stop a player who seems to have a date with destiny.
Argentina and Belgium were both forced into extra time in their second round matches against Switzerland and US respectively, and the two teams narrowly survived penalties.
