Lionel Messi hailed the “beautiful” bond between Argentina’s players and fans after marking his 1,000th professional appearance with a peerless performance, which included a sublimely taken first goal, in the nervy win over Australia.
Argentina’s fixtures have resembled home matches in Qatar, their fans turning stadiums into pulsating cathedrals that inevitably break into full choral worship of Messi. But the entire team was serenaded long after full time even after a stop‑start performance, and Messi highlighted the power of a relationship that has appeared to grow with each game in this tournament.
