Argentina came into the World Cup as one of the favorites. It had not lost in 36 games, one shy of the men’s international record. This was supposed to be Lionel Messi’s World Cup, the moment when, at the very last, he would win the one tournament that has continued to elude him. He has been in form for Paris Saint-Germain. He finally has a balanced team in which to play, one that offers him a platform and accentuates his virtues. The Copa América success last year finally broke the Argentina trophy drought that stretched back to 1993.
The doubt had been, though, that in that 36-game run, Argentina had played only three UEFA sides and one of them Estonia.