JULY 5 ― Tonight’s World Cup quarter-final tie between Argentina and Belgium is highlighted by the seventh ― and obviously last ― head to head meeting this season between Lionel Messi and Thibaut Courtois.
So far, Belgian goalkeeper Courtois has enjoyed much the better of things, with his Atletico Madrid side winning one and drawing five of their six games against Messi’s Barcelona ― two in the Spanish Super Cup, two in the Champions League and two in La Liga, which Atletico clinched courtesy of a final day 1-1 draw at the Nou Camp.
Even more notably, during the course of those six games Messi scored precisely zero goals ― a remarkable statistic considering his incredibly consistent goalscoring exploits over the last few years.
He came close, particularly when he fired a penalty against the crossbar in August’s Super Cup goalless draw at the Nou Camp and then on the final day of the season when a potentially title-winning strike was (perhaps wrongly) disallowed for offside.
As they prepare for tonight’s renewals of hostilities, both men can take confidence from the fact they have enjoyed excellent World Cup campaigns, with Courtois conceding just two goals in four games (and one of them was a penalty) as Belgium’s defensive excellence has provided the backbone for their first quarter-final appearance since 1986.
The athletic Courtois, who is set to return to Chelsea after three splendid loan seasons with Atletico, once again showed his worth to his team in their exciting 2-1 extra time victory over the United States in the last sixteen, making a superb save from Clint Dempsey to preserve Belgium’s lead in the final minutes.
Messi’s influence for Argentina has been even greater, with the 27-year-old scoring in each of his team’s three group games and then teeing up the late extra time winner for Angel Di Maria in Tuesday’s knockout tie with Switzerland.
Although 20 other players will be on the pitch, the head to head battle between Messi and Courtois will undoubtedly be one of the most decisive factors in deciding today’s outcome, with their previous meetings over the last 10 months lending an additional edge to the encounter.
Messi is proud of his goalscoring records and will be acutely aware of his recent blanks against Atletico, which extends back to seven games including the 2012/3 season. But over the last fortnight he has risen to the challenge of carrying a moderate Argentine team on his shoulders, providing the only real reason to believe his team can lift the trophy next weekend.
Compared to their club meetings earlier in the season, Courtois’ task tonight is complicated by the fact that he will not enjoy the protection afforded by Atletico’s superb back four.
Over the course of those six games, Messi was so well shackled by Diego Godin, Miranda and co that he had very few opportunities to test Courtois, and Belgium ― even with the presence of the magnificent Vincent Kompany ― will struggle to match the defensive discipline routinely achieved by Atletico in nullifying Messi.
With Eden Hazard, in particular, often failing to track back and provide his defence with sufficient cover, Messi should have much more space in which to operate than the meetings between Barca and Atletico, and there is no player in the world better equipped to exploit space when it is made available.
For Messi, of course, this is a career defining World Cup Finals. He came into the tournament with two personal aims beside winning the trophy: regaining the status of the greatest player in the world, which had arguably been lost to Cristiano Ronaldo in the preceding months, and matching the historic exploits of his greatest predecessor in the Argentine number 10 shirt (or perhaps any shirt), Diego Maradona.
In 1986, Maradona inspired an otherwise mediocre team to victory in Mexico with a series of breathtaking performances and outrageous goals, two of which came in a semi-final victory over Belgium.
The parallels between then and now are striking. As a team, Argentina are no better now than they were then, and their hopes of glory are almost wholly reliant upon their diminutive left-footed superstar in the number ten shirt.
So far, Messi has delivered. He will need to continue to do so, starting today against a goalkeeper who has already kept him at bay on half a dozen occasions this season.
Whoever wins today’s personal duel will probably end up winning the game.
* This is the personal opinion of the columnist.
