On the 11th day of June this year exactly 39 days ago, Mexico faced South-Africa in the opening match of this year’s World Cup Tournament,hosted by Canada/Mexico/USA.
Mexico won that match by 2 goal to zero, starting a tournament that has witnessed a total of 277 goal scored so far,with 2 matches remaining between France and England (3rd place),and the much anticipated final between the Defending Champions Argentina and 2010 Champions Spain.
This year’s final is coming with a lot of peculiarities, concerning the two teams involved and their top players.
Lionel Messi is the face of Argentina’s National Team, having unleashed his talents on the round leather game,in the last two decades to break many long-standing records,and winning over 30 laurels,in one of the most glistened careers in football.
He has proven himself to be a true legend of the game both home and afield, especially in Barcelona where he spent larger percentage of his club footballing career.
Surprisingly,at 39 years of age Messi still dishes out match winning performances with ease,which has put Argentina in another vantage position to write a memorable history in world football tomorrow when they take on Spain.
For the first time in its history,this year’s World Cup Tournament features 48 teams. 16 from Europe,10 from Africa,9 from Asia,North and South America had 12 countries in attendance,while the New Zealand takes the last slot for the ocenia.
Now is the turn of the last two teams to settle the final scores.
Spain’s La Furia Rojas meaning furious reds would slug it out with Argentina’s La’Abiceleste,the sky-blue and white.
Barcelona’s nineteen year old winger Lamine Yamal might not be the biggest name in the Spanish current squad,but the fleet-footed teenager remains the face of today’s Spanish football.
Coincidentally, this same Yamal was the one Lionel Messi bathed in baby-bath about 18 years ago, during a UNICEF programe in Spain.
Yes,the little baby Yamal bathed by Lionel Messi would go toe-to-toe with a footballing idol the whole of Catalonia hold dear to their hearts.
HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORD
Prior to this final match,the two countries have met 14 times,with 6 wins for each team and two draw. This rivalry is a balanced one,but the only time these two teams met in a world cup tournament was 1966,which Argentina won by 2 – 1.
Spain has the most disciplined and organized defence in this tournament so far. Conceding just one goal,and scoring 13 in 7 matches to find their way to the final.
Argentina on the other hand boast of the most prolific attack in this tournament, having scored 19 goals and conceded 7 times,with Messi scoring 8 of those 19 and assisting 4.
WHERE THE MATCH WOULD BE WON AND LOST
Spain’s current team is a mixture of experienced lads with talented young stars,whose performances are tailored to Spanish footballing culture by Coach De la Funte. The team is daring, disciplined, hardworking, and ballsy.
But on their way to glory is an obstruction, Argentina. The La’Abiceleste which won the last edition in Qatar,is a team of very talented, young and experienced stars of the game,captained by Lionel Messi,one of the Greatest talents to have played the game.
One thing stands this Argentina’s team out, it’s the physicality,coupled with team spirit of beliefs which has won them matches from a losing position in this tournament, especially the recent semifinal vs England.
If Spain concede first,it might not end well because Messi remains a threat to any team until the end of the match.
However,if La Furia Rojas can unlock the Argentina’s defence twice in succession,they may be on course to win the world cup for the first time since South-Africa 2010.
Whatever happens tomorrow in New York,this year’s World Cup Final is poised to be a memorable, historical,and very entertaining encounter for the football fans across the globe.
