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| Angel Di Maria: Lionel Messi’s guardian angel | Football News |
When
Leo Messi sits down to write down his autobiography, he could effectively have a chapter on his winter companion
Angel Di Maria. The 34-year-old injury-prone Juventus winger scored the winner within the closing towards Nigeria when
Messi received the Olympic gold in 2008.
In 2021, it was the wiry Argentine’s sensible lob over Alison Becker that handed Messi and Argentina their first Copa America title since 1993. And on Sunday, on Messi’s biggest evening, it was Di Maria’s brilliance down the left that helped the Latin American giants go 2-0 up towards France earlier than half-time. Unfortunately, an harm grounded Di Maria when Argentina performed the 2014 closing towards Germany.
In latest years, Di Maria has performed most of his soccer down the proper. He was additionally recovering from an harm that he sustained within the Saudi Arabia recreation and he wasn’t a certainty for the ultimate. But coach Lionel Scaloni, in a masterstroke, determined to make use of the twinkle-toed winger down the left, a place by which he performed when he becamethe Man of the Match within the Champions League closing in 2014 for Real Madrid.
The transfer caught French right-back Jules Kounde utterly off-guard and the wily Juventus participant made a mockery of Ousmane Dembele to earn the primary penalty that helped Messi make it 1-0. A bit of later, it was Di Maria who was the additional man assembly Alister Mac Allister’s stunning ball from the left to make the scoreline 2-0.
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TOI’s FIFA World Cup 2022 XI
Show Captions
<p>Here is TOI’s FIFA World Cup 2022 XI which led to Lionel Messi main Argentina to glory, scoring twice towards France in one of many all-time nice finals.</p>
<p>Nicknamed Donatello, the Parisian already has a World Cup and a Golden Ball at 23. He might be round for some time to rewrite the report books.</p>
<p>The solely Brazilian to make the reduce forward of Olivier Giroud or Julian Alvarez by advantage of his dazzling shows earlier within the event. The Tottenham participant scored arguably the objective of the competitors – a surprising overhead kick in his staff’s opening win over Serbia.</p>
<p>Mr. Magnificent in his fifth World Cup on the age of 35. His drive and fervour, talent and management helped Argentina win their third World Cup.</p>
<p>One cannot look past the 37-year-old engine with limitless gasoline provide. The Croatian captain pushed his staff for 120 minutes towards Brazil and stored his calm within the shootout.</p>
<p>An distinctive expertise who dictated the England midfield with panache and confidence belying age.</p>
<p>Handled the stress of taking part in alongside Lionel Messi and by no means seemed out of depth. Justifiably received the younger participant of the event award.</p>
<p>The PSG star delivered depth on each ends of the pitch and impressed in all seven of his appearances within the event.</p>
<p>The 20-year-old masked stopper emerged as one of many younger stars of the event as he helped Croatia attain the semifinals.</p>
<p>Pillar within the France staff that received the trophy 4 years in the past; his reassuring presence proved essential once more.<br /></p>
<p>Played each match after changing his brother Lucas, who bought injured within the opener towards Australia. The AC Milan star performed a key function for Les Bleus as they made it to successive closing.</p>
<p>Since making his Argentina debut final yr he has helped the staff win the Copa America and now the World Cup. His shot-stopping feats earned him the Golden Glove.<br /></p>
Di Maria, fairly clearly, was operating out of steam and needed to be taken off halfway by means of the second half, however he had performed greater than what was anticipated of him. Many felt it was the Di Maria transfer by Scaloni that really tilted the stability in favour of Argentina.
As the match wore on, Di Maria, sitting on the sidelines, could not maintain his tears — feelings have been merely spilling over as fortunes stored fluctuating. And when it was throughout, Messi’s greatest hug was reserved for his outdated buddy, with whom he has received and misplaced in nationwide colors for 14 years. Now it is time to savour, sitting on a park bench, the gorgeous journey they’ve shared.
