Paris Saint-Germain’s Lionel Messi is nearing the storybook ending that would be the cherry on top of his football career. After finishing first in Group C, Argentina faced off against Australia in the Round of 16.
The Aussie side presented a challenge through 30 minutes of the matchup, but at the 35th minute, Messi would break through to get the South American nation the lead.
Afterward, Argentina wouldn’t look back as they went on to win 2-1 and advance to the quarterfinals of the World Cup. The PSG star credits the union, allowing them to reach this point in the tournament.
“The union and bond we have is something beautiful and it’s what the national team should be,” Messi said (h/t The Guardian). “It’s unbelievable how they live every single match, how they transmit passion, energy and joy. We’re thankful.”
While Argentina has been the favorite in all their matches thus far in the World Cup, they’ll face an opponent in the quarterfinals that is as talented as them in the Netherlands.
The Netherlands came away with a 3-1 win over the United States on Saturday, making easy work of the American side. Now the Dutch and Argentines will duke it out for a ticket to the semifinals.
