All goals through Messi
Watching the game, it was incontestable that Lionel Messi was the man behind all the match’s goals, and this fact was immediately justified before the middle of the first 45 minutes when his great free-kick was tipped-in unintentionally by Park Chu-Young.
Messi also made breathtaking runs and fed his mates with irreproducible passes. However, although he created the second goal which was netted by Higuain, a faultless build-up turned the Real Madrid striker into an offside position. But the referee and his linesmen failed to spot it, and hence, the goal stood.
The match’s third goal again came from a deadly Messi shot on goal, when the 22-year old paced inside the Korean half and lashed in a low shot which was stopped by the goalie. But on the rebound, Messi fired the ball again, and an unmarked Higuain only had to place the ball into an empty net as the ball came off the left post.
Messi again got himself involved in the fourth goal as he chipped the ball to Aguero who lobbed it into the air for Higuain to head it and score his first hat-trick in a World Cup, and actually the first hat-trick of the 2010 tournament in South Africa. Despite Messi’s footprint in all the goals, Gonzalo Higuain was voted Man of the Match, living Messi with nothing to boast of in the contest so far.
Surely, Higuain got the forgiveness of Argentina lovers for his ineffectiveness against Nigeria last Saturday, but Messi is yet to show his tricks in front of goal. The next occasion might be a luckier one for Lionel Messi, but in the meantime, he can only wish the best to his friend Higuain, who is on his way to earning the most desired World Cup individual awards.
Castrol Index: Lionel Messi and Gonzalo Higuain Statistics
Messi officially has 8.31 in the Castrol Index for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, while Gonzalo Higuain has 6.46. Below we compare both players’ statistics in the competition.
Minutes played
Messi: 180
Higuain: 161
Goals scored
Messi: 0
Higuain: 3
Shots
Messi: 15
Higuain: 11
Shots on goal
Messi: 7
Higuain: 8
Total passes
Messi: 144
Higuain: 46
Pass completed
Messi: 104
Higuain: 32
