When Keanu Baccus faced-up against Lionel Messi he wasn’t sure whether his opponent was even real. The St Mirren central midfielder couldn’t decide whether to stand in awe of the creative maestro, check for a pulse in the ‘waxwork-like’ playmaker or take a step back with legions of noisy Argentinian fans watching his every move inside the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium. In the end, Baccus settled for giving Messi a bit of a kicking.
The 24-year-old was handed the mammoth task of keeping Messi quiet in just his fifth appearance for his country after securing a shock progression from the group stage into the knockout rounds.
But combative Baccus didn’t do himself a disservice as he – and midfield partner Aaron Mooy – made sure Messi knew he was in a game and was limited in his involvement, even if he still managed a stunning opening goal on his landmark 1,000th appearance.
