Lionel Messi has claimed one of the major motivating factors in his desire to see Argentina though to the World Cup was the reaction of the fans.
Messi claimed that he knew how bad the reaction would be in Argentina if they failed to get to Russia, and that he would have also been upset personally.
He spoke about how well the team reacted after going a goal down and how that helped them win on the night to see them through.
The Express report he said: “It was the fear of being knocked out, that would have been crazy for Argentina, for us and for everyone.
“Obviously there was the fear, but today we knew how to play.
“It was the fear that saved us. We had missed opportunities ourselves.
“It was the fear of being left out (of Russia). It would have been crazy, not just for me, I don’t know how I’d have reacted, but for the whole Argentina.
“Luckily we react quickly after the Ecuador’s goal.
“It is important we all unite as a team. If we all go hand in hand it is much easier.
“Today was an important day for all of us.
“Thank the people for all the support, in particular, in this double date of qualifiers.”
Messi of course put in what can only be described as a Man of the Match performance to see Argentina though, and it was certainly something that the vast majority of people were calling one of his best performances for his country.
For some time, there’s been the suggestion that Messi doesn’t do as well for Argentina as he does for Barcelona, and to be considered truly great, he has to do something for his country as well as his club – and if the final qualifying game is anything to go by, it may well be Russia 2018 when he does that.
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