The tension was thick enough to choke you. Honestly, if you weren’t in Lusail Stadium on November 26, 2022, it is hard to describe the sheer weight of the silence before the first whistle. People talk about the World Cup like it’s just a tournament, but for Argentina, this specific match was a funeral or a resurrection. No middle ground. After that humiliating loss to Saudi Arabia, the math was simple and cruel: lose to Mexico and go home.
Lionel Messi was staring at the end of his legacy. That’s not hyperbole. Imagine the greatest player to ever lace up boots exiting his final World Cup in the group stage because of a 2-0 loss to "Tata" Martino’s side. It almost happened.
The Night Argentina vs Mexico 2022 Changed Everything
For about sixty minutes, Argentina looked terrible. They were rattled. Every pass felt heavy, and the Mexican defense, led by a rock-solid César Montes, was playing like their lives depended on a 0-0 draw. Mexico didn’t need to win; they just needed to frustrate. And boy, were they frustrating. Argentina’s midfield was a ghost town. Rodrigo De Paul was struggling to find his rhythm, and the service to Lautaro Martínez was basically non-existent.
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Then came the 64th minute.
It wasn't a complex tactical play. It wasn't a team effort. Angel Di María played a simple, diagonal ball across the face of the area. Messi took one touch to set himself. The second touch was a low, fizzing laser that beat Guillermo Ochoa into the bottom corner. 88,966 people—the largest World Cup crowd in 28 years—erupted. But it wasn't just a cheer; it was a collective exhale of a nation that had been holding its breath for four days.
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Why the xG Lies to You
If you look at the stats, this game was "boring." The expected goals (xG) were laughably low: roughly 0.30 for Argentina and 0.20 for Mexico. By pure data standards, neither team deserved to score. Nine total shots in the whole match. That’s it. But football isn’t played on a spreadsheet. Argentina vs Mexico 2022 was about moments of individual genius overcoming tactical stagnation.
- The Messi Factor: He scored from 25 yards with a low-probability shot.
- The Enzo Spark: A 21-year-old kid named Enzo Fernández came off the bench and changed the tempo.
- Mexican Resilience: Mexico actually controlled the first half, keeping Argentina's shots on target to a grand total of zero before the break.
The Goal That Nobody Saw Coming
While Messi gets the headlines, the real story of the tournament’s trajectory started with Enzo Fernández’s goal in the 87th minute. This wasn't a tap-in. It was a beautiful, curling strike from the edge of the box after a short corner. Before this goal, Enzo was just a promising sub from Benfica. After this goal, he became a permanent fixture in Lionel Scaloni's starting XI and eventually the Young Player of the Tournament.
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Mexico’s manager, Gerardo "Tata" Martino, was in a weird spot. He’s Argentine. He’s a legend at Newell's Old Boys—the same club Messi started at. Seeing him try to engineer the downfall of his own country was one of the strangest subplots of the night. His 5-3-2 formation almost worked perfectly. Mexico was "delightfully stodgy," as some commentators put it. They choked the life out of the game until that one half-yard of space was given to the wrong person.
The Real Stakes for El Tri
For Mexico, this loss was the beginning of the end. It was the first time they failed to reach the knockout stages since 1978. They played with intensity and heart, but they lacked a clinical edge. They tested Emiliano Martínez only once—a curling free kick from Alexis Vega that "Dibu" caught with both hands while diving. It was a confident save that signaled Argentina’s defense was finally waking up.
Key Takeaways and Facts
- Attendance: 88,966. This was the biggest crowd since the 1994 final at the Rose Bowl.
- The Record: Messi tied Diego Maradona’s World Cup goal tally (8) and appearances (21) during this match.
- The Turnaround: This win was the catalyst for Argentina’s 36-game unbeaten streak vibes returning.
- Tactical Shift: Scaloni wasn't afraid to bench veterans. He brought on Julian Alvarez and Enzo Fernández, which eventually became the spine of the championship team.
If you’re looking to understand why Argentina won the World Cup, don't look at the final against France first. Look at the 60th minute against Mexico. That was the moment the "World Cup of Pressure" turned into the "World Cup of Destiny."
To truly appreciate the tactical shift that happened after this game, you should re-watch the highlights focusing specifically on the movement of Alexis Mac Allister and Enzo Fernández. Their inclusion changed Argentina from a static, Messi-dependent team into a fluid machine. For Mexico fans, the next step is looking toward the 2026 cycle with a focus on developing a consistent "Number 9" who can convert the defensive solidity they showed in Lusail into actual goals.