In his 1000th career appearance, Lionel Messi had his best match of the World Cup so far as Argentina took down Australia 2-1 to book their place in the quarterfinal against the Netherlands next week.

Despite having a two-goal lead, however, the final moments of the game were far nervier than Argentina would have anticipated. Messi’s moment of brilliance came in the 35th minute, after the first third of the game was managed well by Australia.

Messi’s moment of brilliance came in the 35th minute, after the first third of the game was managed well by Australia. By far the inferior side in terms of talent, the Socceroos did well to curb Argentina’s attacks, letting them continue to dominate possession but slowing down the tempo, leaving little space in between the lines for chance creation.

Source: IE