Lionel Messi has defended Argentina team-mate Lautaro Martinez after the substitute missed a pair of big late chances against Australia.
The Copa America champions beat the Socceroos 2-1 to set up a quarter-final clash with Netherlands. Messi and Julian Alvarez scored for Lionel Scaloni's team, with Messi passing Diego Maradona's World Cup tally in the process, but an Enzo Fernandez own goal set up a nervy final few moments and goalkeeper Emi Martinez needed to make a big late save to preserve the win.
Lautaro Martinez replaced Alvarez for the final 20 minutes, and had chances to make the game safe only to send one golden chance off-target and fire a second too close to Mat Ryan. After the game, though, Messi came to the defence of his compatriot.
"Lautaro is a very important player for us, he is a striker who lives by scoring goals," Messi told TyC Sports (via Goal ). "Now it is fundamental that he is well in view of the quarter-final and what still has to happen in this World Cup.”
Martinez himself didn't make reference to the misses in an Instagram post after the win. "For my family, for my friends, for bayia blanca, for all the Argentinian people," he wrote.
"Thanks for the support. We continue not to settle, we want more. Happy for this group. For this country."
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Martinez has 21 senior international goals for Argentina, including three in the run to Copa America glory in 2021. He has yet to score at the World Cup, though, with VAR denying him by the narrowest of margins after he thought he had netted in the group stage defeat against Saudi Arabia.
Argentina will now have time to rest before their next match, a quarter-final clash with the Netherlands on December 9. The two nations met in the semi-finals in 2014, with the South American side winning on penalties, while the Europeans came out on top in a quarter-final meeting in 1998.
Louis van Gaal's Oranje made it through their group without tasting defeat, and saw off the challenge of the United States in the first of the round of 16 matches. First-half goals from Memphis Depay and Daley Blind put them in charge, and Denzel Dumfries found a clincher after Haji Wright had given the US hope.
"These are amazing feelings, I am really happy to share their beautiful moment with the fans," Messi said after his team's victory over Australia, as reported by the BBC. "I know how much effort they have put into coming here and I know the whole of Argentina want to be here. The bonds, the union we have is something beautiful.
"It is unbelievable, the fans' passion, energy and joy. It is unbelievable."
