Forget about Wayne Rooney. Forget about Robin Van Persie. It was Lionel Messi whose star shone brightest in the World Cup qualifiers last week. His magic solo show helped Argentina to a 3-0 win against Uruguay. The mighty goalkeeper Fernando Muslera was beaten twice by Messi’s exceptional free kicks. Before this game, his moderate performance in the sky blue shirt was from the difference between Messi and the legend Diego Maradona, especially when his club performance was taken into account. Now, the nation knelt down to his feet, with one newspaper commenting, “Outstanding leader, perfect Messi”.
Messi celebrating his goal against Uruguay
Most European elites are easing through their group stage fixtures. England got five goals from San Marino at Wembley stadium, with Rooney and Danny Welbeck, the two Manchester United strikers, bagging a brace apiece. The Germans brutally exposed the fragility of Ireland’s defense, with the six-goal humiliation showing Ireland’s manager Trapattoni how big a task it is to reach the World Cup Finals. The Netherlands, Italy and Spain all managed easy wins before they take on more evenly-matched rivals in the upcoming fixtures.
Only one European elite lost their battle last week. The Portuguese suffered from Moscow’s cold weather to end up with a 1-0 loss. Fabio Capello welcomed Portugal’s pouring attack with his trademark resilient defense. Cristiano Ronaldo didn’t even come close to scoring. Portugal has a history of poor performace in qualifiers. The road to Brazil will again be bumpy for them.
Some high-profile games are waiting ahead. France visits World champions Spain mid-week. Inside forward Pedro’s hat trick against Belarus last weekend proved Spain’s no-orthodox-striker tactic was threatening, and Del Bosque might keep using it against France. Italian manager Prandelli no doubt hopes his two important players, Mario Balotelli and Giorgio Chiellini, will be able to come back to face Denmark, while England’s visit to Warsaw will by no means be an easy game.
Can they keep smiling against Poland?
