Messi: Relief, not celebration, after 1,000th game

AL RAYYAN, Qatar -- Lionel Messi says helium volition not observe his idiosyncratic milestone of reaching 1,000 nonrecreational matches aft helping Argentina to a 2-1 triumph implicit Australia successful the World Cup circular of 16, but alternatively admits his overriding emotion was alleviation astatine having travel done a carnal trial conscionable 48 hours aft their past radical signifier match.

Messi, 35, scored Argentina's archetypal against the Socceroos with a wonderfully worked extremity successful the archetypal half. Julian Alvarez past doubled the pb successful the 2nd half, but Argentina were made to clasp connected successful the last throes of the lucifer arsenic Australia scored and threatened an equaliser precocious on.

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The lucifer came conscionable 2 days aft they bushed Poland successful their last lucifer of the radical signifier to unafraid their spot successful the knockouts.

Messi was again successful inspired signifier and was named Player of the Match. But contempt reaching yet different vocation milestone and surpassing Diego Maradona's people of 8 World Cup goals, Messi is not recognising this idiosyncratic achievement.

Instead, helium is conscionable delighted astatine having travel done a carnal trial truthful soon aft their erstwhile match.

"I americium precise blessed for taking different measurement forward, achieving different objective," Messi said postmatch.

"It was a precise beardown and hard lucifer -- we knew it was going to beryllium this way. We didn't person overmuch clip to remainder up and we were acrophobic arsenic we knew it was going to beryllium a carnal lucifer and they were precise strong."

When asked connected Argentine TV whether helium was going to observe his 1,000th match, Messi answered: "No, genuinely no. This was a pugnacious game, pugnacious game, we didn't person overmuch rest, we had not truly recovered well. It was a precise carnal crippled arsenic well.

"When we recovered retired we had to play again successful 3 days, we said it was brainsick and not capable rest, but astatine the aforesaid clip we wanted to beryllium present for what it feels similar and for what this represents and for our fans."

Australia manager Graham Arnold said his players did good to incorporate Messi, but successful the end, his people shone through.

"He's incredible," Arnold said. "One of the top ever. We truly worked hard not to beryllium successful awe of him, due to the fact that of the large subordinate helium is. But wow, he's remarkable.

"I had the privilege of playing against Diego Maradona, and present coaching against Messi -- they're some fantastic players and Argentina should beryllium truthful arrogant and blessed to person players of that calibre."

Attention for Argentina present shifts to their World Cup quarterfinal against the Netherlands connected Dec. 9.

"Today we saw their lucifer [against the United States]," Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni said.

"Probably they don't play arsenic beautifully arsenic erstwhile Dutch teams -- but they person beardown points, and weaknesses we volition effort to use. It volition beryllium a beauteous crippled with 2 historical nationalist teams. We anticipation we'll qualify."

Argentina volition support a adjacent oculus connected the fittingness of respective of their cardinal players successful the run-up to facing the Dutch. Papu Gomez picked up an ankle wounded against Australia, but they are assured of having Angel di Maria acceptable again arsenic helium recovers from a quad injury.

"Hopefully Di Maria volition beryllium capable to play, helium wasn't acceptable today," Scaloni said. "It's ever tempting to bring him connected erstwhile he's connected the bench, but I don't deliberation we'd person helped anyone by bringing him on. We anticipation helium continues evolving and makes it to the adjacent match."