Argentina, who suffered a shock defeat to Saudi Arabia in the first game of the 2022 Qatar World Cup group stage and became a victim of surprise, revived from the elimination crisis with the help of star star Lionel Messi.
Argentina defeated Mexico 2-0 in the second leg of Group C at the Lusail Stadium in Qatar.
In the 19th minute of the second half, Messi scored the winning goal, and in the 42nd minute of the second half, Enso Hernandez scored the key goal.
Argentina, who failed to keep Messi's penalty kick in the first match against Saudi Arabia and lost 2-1, won its first win in the tournament and moved up to second place in the group (3 points, +1 goal difference).
The 35-year-old Messi, who declared that this will be his last World Cup, did his part by scoring two goals in a row and leading his team to victory.
Mexico, who suffered their first loss of the tournament following a 0-0 draw with Poland in the first leg, fell to bottom of the group (1 point).
Poland, who won 2-0 over Saudi Arabia, took the lead (4 points), while Saudi Arabia was in third place behind Argentina in goal difference (3 points, -1 goal difference).
It was also Messi who saved Mexico, which was on the brink of elimination if it lost to Mexico in the second game.
In the 19th minute of the second half, Messi scored the winning goal by shaking the Mexican goal net with a left-footed mid-range shot from the front of the penalty arc, after Di Maria gave the ball from the right.
Messi, who scored goals in two consecutive matches following the first game against Saudi Arabia, equaled legendary Diego Maradona's record with eight goals in his World Cup career.
(Photo = Getty Image Korea)