The other Lionel: how Scaloni went from accidental manager to World Cup hero
After forming an almost paternal relationship with Lionel Messi and providing a rare sense of stability, Argentina’s unheralded saviour is on the verge of World Cup history On Lionel Messi’s ill-fated international debut in Budapest in 2005, when he was (very harshly) sent off 45 seconds after coming off the bench f…
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Jorge Messi wanted his country to fall in love with his son. That ambition was fulfilled during a brilliant international career that ended this week “What Argentina is doing in this World Cup is of a sacred order,” Brazilian writer Milly Lacombe posted at the height of the tide of anti-Argentinian sentiment during…
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- Guardian — FootballSun, 27 Sept · 01:19
Meet the new minute 55 England collapse, not the same as the old minute 55 England collapse | Barney Ronay
Things started to go wrong against Spain at the same time they did against Argentina, but for very different reasons and with far more cause for optimism You could feel it inside the stadium, one of those moments where the air starts to shift, the birds fly backwards through the sky, and outside on Wembley Way an ol…
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- Guardian — FootballSat, 26 Sept · 21:00
Messi’s exit leaves Argentina with impossible task of replacing their superhero | Jonathan Wilson
When things are going awry, the Albiceleste will no longer be able to rely on their ultimate get-out clause It isn’t quite over yet. Lionel Messi will return a week on Wednesday for his formal farewell in a friendly against Benin, but, before that, Argentina face two games when they will begin to experience a future…
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