Lionel Messi goal: Three magical touches that briefly brought calm to the chaos for Argentina

Five days had passed since Argentina were trampled by Croatia in Nizhny Novgorod, and they had been five days full of arguments, an alleged fight – or ‘going to the pineapples’ – between Javier Mascherano and Cristian Pavon and a 150kg cake of Lionel Messi for his 31^st birthday.

Then there was the open criticism of Jorge Sampaoli by Sergio Aguero, the leaked Whatsapp messages from Diego Simeone berating the performance and effort of Messi, the farcical minute silence on Argentine television marking the death of football and claims and counter-claims that players and/or managers would be sent home from Russia.

Argentina, as a squad and a country, were in chaos.

It continued as they arrived at the stadium in St Petersburg, too. There was a march by fans, the unanimous booing of Sampaoli’s name when it was announced over the tannoy system and Mascherano passing like someone who had indeed been pineappled and was still carrying the concussion to prove it.

Nigeria were dominating and Argentina had gone from chaos to pandemonium.

Then, at 13 minutes and 52 seconds, the ball arrived at the feet of the coolest man in the stadium and, three magical touches later, at 13 minutes and 54 seconds, the ball arrived in the top corner of the net. Argentina had gone from chaos, to pandemonium, to mayhem, all with the three most tranquil touches of a football this World Cup has seen so far wedged in between.

It was so much more than three touches though, and began with a look and a familiarity forged in Rosario’s infant football system. Ever Benega picked up the ball dead on the halfway line and looked up in the only direction he needed to. One touch to get the ball out of his feet, a second to play an inch-perfect lofted pass into the path of Messi.

What was less obvious was the two steps Messi took before the pass was play. He fainted inwards, luring Chelsea defender Kenneth Omerou into his trap to close the space Messi was meandering into. Then, with a sudden sense of urgency, he switched to full pace and ghosted past the helpless Omerou into the space he had so expertly created in behind.

Running at full speed, Banega’s ball floated into his body and, without breaking his stride, he cushioned the ball with his left thigh, into the path of his left foot. The first brought it closer to Omerou and the second drew it away from him. The third touch, on his weaker right foot, thumped the ball past the helpless Francis Uzoho in Nigeria’s goal.

It was made to look so simple, a step, a knee, a left foot, a right foot, a goal. But geniuses are just that for a reason, they make the difficult look so easy to the ordinary eye. Minimalist touches, maximum impact.

For those brief moments, St Petersburg was calm and Messi and La Albiceleste were in total control. But as is so often with Argentina, chaos was never too far away again.