[Saba Sports News] Trailing 2-0 until the 78th minute, Argentina pulled off an epic 3-2 last-gasp winner in the 92nd minute. How extraordinary is this comeback? A leading stats firm has delivered its verdict: the greatest in history.
Argentina became the first team in World Cup history to come from two goals down past the 78th minute and secure victory within regulation time. Six days earlier, Belgium had also staged a remarkable turnaround from 0-2 to 3-2, though their dramatic winner against Senegal arrived in extra time. Per Opta’s predictive model, Argentina held merely a 0.6% chance of qualifying for the quarterfinals before Cristian Romero cut the deficit to 2-1. The man who steered his side to pull off the seemingly impossible was none other than Argentina captain Lionel Messi.
Messi delivered a cross to set up the opening goal before unleashing a powerful strike to level the score, finishing the match with one goal and one assist. This marked his first assist of the tournament, making him the first player ever to register assists across six separate World Cups. With a total of nine assists, Messi overtook Diego Armando Maradona, who has eight, and drew level with West Germany’s Fritz Walter atop the all-time World Cup assists rankings.
In my view, this marks a historic milestone in World Cup individual statistics, testament to Messi’s prolonged elite form and all-round ability throughout his career. Still, the label of “GOAT” should be judged against a full spectrum of factors including historical context, cultural legacy and on-pitch performances; statistics represent just one dimension of the debate.