“Spain played better than us. We lost and we accept it. But that does not mean we will forget what we have done so far. I thank the people of my country, my teammates and my country,” Lionel Messi said after the World Cup final defeat. With the runners-up medal round his neck, tears in his eyes and frank acknowledgement of his rivals in his voice, Messi’s reaction showed both grace and pain. On the night his dream of a second straight World Cup broke, the Argentine captain sought no excuse for his own failure and accepted Spain’s superiority.
Argentina lost 1-0 at MetLife Stadium to Ferran Torres’s only goal in the first minute of the second half of extra time. The 39-year-old Messi was the focus of much expectation in the final, but before Spain’s organised pressing, precise marking and midfield control he was unusually subdued. In the first 21 minutes he got only two touches of the ball, and he could not take a single shot at goal in the whole match; his usual influence on the ball, his dribbling and the familiar magic of changing a match’s course were not seen. Spain kept the match so firmly in their control that Argentina’s attack, and Messi in particular, were effectively cut off. La Roja dominated almost every department — possession, passing and chance creation. Over the match, shots were Spain 20, Argentina 2 — and Argentina took those two shots only after the 117th minute, failing to put a single shot on target at Spain’s goal in the first 90 minutes. The gap was large in passing too: Spain led 845 to 433.
Messi could not hold back his tears after the match. “I’m sorry,” he said in an emotional voice. “But I know we played with our whole heart.” Although he failed in the final, Messi’s contribution across the World Cup was outstanding: in six matches he scored 7 goals and set up 4 for his teammates. He was the heart of Argentina’s attack throughout, and his goals and creativity in several knockout matches carried the team to the final; but on the last stage, that magic was not seen against Spain’s tactical football. Even so, the Argentine legend accepted defeat with dignity. “They played better than us. We lost the match and we accept it. But that does not mean we should forget what we achieved at this World Cup,” Messi said.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report