The South American duel pitting arguably 2 of the best footballing nations on the planet was settled last night when Argentine wonder kid Lionel Messi scored the only goal of the night to give his side a slender 1-0 win over arch rivals Brazil.
With last night’s result, the reigning World Player of the year moved one step closer to cementing his place in Argentina’s records as one of the country’s all time great players.
At only 23 years of age, it would be an understatement to say that Messi’s future is bright. Last night’s victory also saw the return of Brazilian play maker Ronaldinho to the national team.
Despite last featuring for Brazil over a year ago, Dinho was the heart of the Brazilian attack , coming to close to scoring on a number of occasions. And as usual, the 30 year old provided fans with some joga bonito to keep them entertained throughout the match.
Speaking after the match, Brazil coach Mano Menezes lauded his young side for their performance albeit with a tinge of bitterness.
“It was a little bit frustrating, a draw would have been a fair result, analysing what both teams did. We failed on the last ball to define the game.”
On Ronaldinho’s return to the squad, Menezes was quoted as saying it was the right time for his call up.
“Ronaldinho did well, taking responsibility for creating offensive moves. He was substituted because of his physical condition and not because of his performance. We brought him back to the Selecao at the right time.”
Brazil’s loss was Menezes first taste of defeat in his 4 matches as coach of the Selecao, however, it was to worthy opponents.
“Defeat always puts us down, but we understand the moment and the way that it happened. We will keep seeking improvements for next year.”
We can only hope that this is the beginning of the rise of Messi’s form for his national team.
Photo credit: from Andy Sum
