Two days ago I treated myself to a repeat viewing of ESPN's fantastic 30-for-30 documentary, The Two Escobars. Towards the end of the film, many former teammates of the murdered Andrés Escobar (killed supposedly due to his own goal in the 1994 World Cup) lamented that Columbian soccer had never recovered from the tragic aftermath of Columbia's dissapointing '94 campaign. Fans of Columbia's national team had become disenfranchised with the team, which had once stood in juxtaposition to the violent drug wars within the nation. Violence, indeed, had pervaded Columbia's sporting world, a last bastion of beauty and hope in the imploding nation...
Almost twenty years on, it appears that Columbia's soccer team may finally be on the road to recovery. I witnessed a few days ago Columbia's hard fought 1-0 victory over Costa Rica in the opening match of this years Copa America. While Columbia was surely disappointed that the scoreline was not greater, as a spectator I admired the tenacity and pace of the team and how well its marquis player, Falcao, was able to play off his less admired compatriots. I was even more impressed, however, by Columbia's defiance against an apparently exhausted Argentina side. Barring Dayro Moreno's incredible howler of a miss as the first half came to a close, Columbia might have defeated a beleaguered Argentina side, but instead settled for a deserved 0-0 draw. Argentina's goalkeeper, Sergio Romero, needed to put on a fantastic display to maintain a clean sheet for his side, as Falcao, Moreno, and an impressive Camilo Zuñega tested him on several occasions.
Perhaps even more noteworthy than Columbia's showing was the treatment of Lionel Messi by his own fans after the final whistle. Indeed, the English announcer on Canal Plus was dumbfounded as Messi quickly trudged off the pitch, only to be met by hisses and boos by his own supporters as he hustled towards the locker room. Objectively I would say that Messi, while not brilliant, certainly had a fair game for the Albiceleste. His through ball to Ezequiel Lavezzi on the stroke of half time was probably the pass of the game, despite the chance being thoroughly squandered. However, it did appear to me that Messi faded as the pressure and intensity of the game became larger. Perhaps he is not used to such situations, being that Barcelona so rarely find themselves needing to scrape a goal in the dying moments of a match. Perhaps his supporting Argentine cast is to blame for its hapless finishing, though they didn't really have that many opportunities to begin with.
I, however, pose another theory as to why the little magician cannot replicate his club form with the Albiceleste. With about ten minutes left in the game, as a Columbian midfielder was being treated for an injury, a camera panned the field to show Carlos Tevez, Gonzalo Higuain, and Javier Zanetti all in deep discussion about the closing moments of the came. The camera then panned to show Lionel Messi, standing by himself, looking incredibly forlorn. The camera stayed on Messi for a good ten seconds or more, and he did not make any attempt to enter into the conversation with the other leaders of his national team. Perhaps Messi is devoid of the unity and closeness that Barcelona provides him. Perhaps this is why Argentina, and Messi, continue to struggle.
No comments:
Post a Comment