After fist-pumping his way back to the halfway line and urging the Argentine contingent to maintain their delirium, Lionel Messi took a moment to himself.
And ahead of the Mexican restart, he stretched out his arms, looked upon beyond the stadium’s far-away rafters and muttered a few words. What they were and to whom they were directed will, no doubt, remain private but if Diego Maradona was looking down, he would surely have said thanks. Thanks for yet another moment that reminds the world why you are one of the, if not THE, greatest of all time.
The goal Messi was celebrating with his celestial gesture would not make into his top hundred - or maybe two hundred - in terms of magic and technical brilliance. It was an extremely decent, clever, medium-range strike that a truly world-class keeper just might have saved.
But it was a bright flash of inspiration when his country desperately needed it in a game that was going nowhere until he intervened midway through the second half. It was an act that lifts his nation’s mood and his squad’s hopes as they go into the final group game.
The weight of pressure on Messi from his homeland often seems, to the outsider, unbearable but the immortals can bear that sort of pressure - and deliver. And let’s face it, the broader picture is that if ever there was a tournament that needed primetime Messi, this was it.
This is a World Cup that needs its stellar talent to shine, its skyscraper poster players to stand tall. Simply put, it needs the greatest to be great. And on the event’s first Saturday, Robert Lewandowski - with his first-ever World Cup goal - and Kylian Mbappe had set a promising example.
After Mbappe had scored twice in France’s 2-1 win over Denmark, it was over to his club team-mate in the Lusail Stadium, venue for the final in three weeks’ time.
The final chapter of the Qatari and FIFA storybook would have Messi making his farewell on that day but, in truth and despite this morale-lifting win, this does not look like an Argentine squad that has the gears to get there.
And in a bad-tempered first half - pockmarked with petty fouls, playacting and the occasional dash of real devilment - it did not look as though Messi has as many gears to go through.
Throughout his unbelievable career, Messi’s unique way of working has often involved lengthy spells of non-involvement in matches, nearly always punctuated with many glorious contributions.
But the intensity of the opposition approach meant he was unable to leave any sort of print on the early proceedings, unlike Mexican defender Nestor Araujo who certainly left his print on Marcos Acuna.
Referee Daniele Orsato would probably have found no dispute from VAR had he flourished a red instead of yellow card but the Italian referee - who took charge of the opening game - was, initially at least, buying into the fashion of leniency.
But it was a wonder he was not out of breath, the number of times he had to whistle. There were FOUR times the amount of fouls than attempts at goal in the first half - 16 to four.
True, that sort of statistic was probably not unexpected but the absolute dearth of quality was. For long periods of this contest, it was, at best, Championship-standard until Messi reminded us what he is all about.
Whatever happens in the final games of this group, it would take a great leap of imagination to envisage one of these being here on December 18, even if a brilliant Enzo Fernandez strike put a late Argentine gloss on this particular victory.
But no-one on a football field has a bigger leap of imagination than Lionel Messi. And maybe, just maybe, his farewell will be on the grandest of stages.
