Win over Brazil beautiful: Messi

Lionel Messi was very happy with the beautiful last-gasp goal that gave Argentina a 1-0 win against Brazil in a friendly in Doha.

And everyone on and around the pitch, from Argentina coach sergio Batista to Brazil coach Mano Menezes, was generous in their praise of the Barcelona striker.

The World Footballer of the Year told DPA that the win over Argentina’s arch-rivals as “beautiful,” particularly since he himself had never beaten Brazil.

“I had planned that before playing,” he said with a smile. “I always looked for my chance.” Messi had beaten Brazil with junior Argentina sides and also at the Olympics, but never with the senior national team.

The match was tight, and only Messi’s genius managed to break the deadlock. The man who has so often been criticised for national team performances that are usually far from his glitter at the club-level proved to be crucial for Argentina’s first win over Brazil since the qualifiers ahead of the 2006 World Cup.

“We have the best player in the world and we made the most of that,” Batista told a press conference in Qatar. “I’m not going to discover now who he is because he is the world’s best player.” He admitted that he thought the match would end goalless.

“But you can always hope for more from a player of Messi’s quality,” Batista noted.

Midfielder Javier Mascherano, Messi’s teammate with the national team and also at Barcelona, said he was happy about the result, “but a lot more” for Messi. “It was unusual to hear him who is quiet say so loud that it was about time we beat Brazil,” Mascherano said.

Brazil playmaker Ronaldinho also acknowledged his good friend’s skills. “He is the world’s best player, and unfortunately for us he found a gap and with his quality settled the match when it already looked like a draw,” he said. The two men exchanged their shirts in Doha.

Menezes too highlighted the young Argentine’s genius. “They weren’t hurting us, but Messi had reserved one extra move for Argentina,” he said.

Keywords: Lionel Messi, Argentina

(source:thehindu.com)