Messi INSPIRES World Cup Comeback vs. England | Will face Spain in Final

All credit to Argentina, what a comeback it feels like for both teams really, Troy.We've seen this story before, we've seen that play out for England and we've seen the Messi magic in Argentina survive at the end of the match.

Yeah, let's start off with the positives.Well done to Argentina, Messi.When they got to the 1 -0 down, need a big player, need a moment, need a character, need someone to step up.He gave me the ball.Every opportunity, give me the ball, give me the ball.And to talk to his brilliance isn't talking about the assist or the goals.

The brilliance is the crosses that he hits in the box that go over here and he's like, don't worry, give me again.

The decision making too.

But you know what I mean, coming down his left foot, whips across it, it hits it too hard.Don't worry, literally the next play, hey, give it me, because I know I'm going to do it again.One in the ball, wanting to run towards the flames, running towards the fire.Fantastic.Argentina deserved everything that they got out of the game, especially in that second half.I think it flipped to a completely different game in the second half and I won't go in on England too hard to kind of calm down for a split second or two before I go into that rant but Argentina fantastic, Messi's fantastic they deserved to win the game because in the second half only one team wanted to win the game.

Yeah I want to add to Troy's point for me I think for me again got to give credit to Argentina Watching this tournament so far and what we've seen, I would say that this is their best performance.And again, it's the fact they go 1 -0 down to England.We got the last top fours of obviously France is out.This is where you're going to judge them now.And they came back from a goal behind to win a game.And what Troy says as well is 100 % right.

When you watch that game again, forget stats and the goals and assists.When they went 1 -0 down, you saw Messi say, give me the ball.He took full responsibility and was willing to say, I am the best player on this pitch, I am the best player in the world, give me that ball.He was getting on the ball constantly, trying to make things happen, trying to get more involved in the goal to get them back into it.And when I look at this now,Cup so far and what we see, I would probably say for me, Messi is more influential in this World Cup for this Argentina side than he was in the previous World Cup.

And I know it might sound crazy to some people, but when you look at the last World Cup and what they did, to this World Cup and what he's doing, at his age, in a World Cup where most people didn't even have Argentina's favourites to maybe make the final, where it was France and Spain as number one, one and two, and most people thought could get to the final, or potentially maybe England.Messi is so influential and I think he's more influential in this World Cup than he was in previous and adding the four years because that was the thing that we will be worried about to see how influential Messi be this World Cup for Argentina that was going to be the main talking point or the main person who would dictate whether Argentina win this World Cup and today that is when you know you're a big star big player because the moment when your team needs you the most your nation needs you the most you're the one willing to take that responsibility and turn this game and for me He was sensational.He was the main catalyst for Argentina to get back into this game.

I want to add one bit before I let Grelo go, because I think he's fair.There's a moment that we spoke about before the game where we were saying, street smarts, willingness to do whatever it takes to win, that freedom and that carelessness of, I'm going to be the one to make this situation happen.Argentina have it, not in one player, in every player.England have it in a few.and wouldn't let Grela go because he's waited patiently so thank you.But I do think in this situation we'll dissect England, we'll pull it apart, trust me I'm ready to go and pull it apart.

But the other side to it is Argentina have been so good and that ability to just be like, I don't care, Enzo Fernandez shooting four or five times for the edge of the box, okay, I don't care, I miss one I'll do it again, I miss one I'll do it again.

messy putting cross in it just it was coming and again that over to go down that route will end up destroying England so we'll do that in a minute but I did say they've been fantastic sorry girl oh it was good and I know listen I when I watch my team it's tough because I think that England put a lot into the tournament I think if they put a lot into today's game as well not the result that they wanted We speak about halftime as a game about concentration and about moments.In Argentina, Molina on the back post fell asleep for a split second.And England took advantage and Gordon gets his goal and that is 1 -0.And then England went 2 -2 fast.And it didn't really know how to manage it.They just got players so deep.

Both the goals come from really from they start with shots from outside the box on the top of the box really where you're so deep.You've got 11 players and you're still not close enough to get close to close on the shot.So just too deep and too negative.I also think they didn't do enough in the tournament to get to the final.I think we'd be all killing it catering ourselves to say that that team belonged to be in the final post after post and shades of luck after shades of luck.And I think in the end Argentina merited that.

Now, lastly, I'll go to shift just quickly to the Argentina side.I'm a big...Both my parents were born in Napoli.I'm a big Maradona's the best that's ever lived conversation.And then, you know, then you have your list.Everyone has their list about Pele and this and that.

I don't want to hear about...Messi is number one for me.Number one, no question about it.Is Maradona already in the room?It's his parents calling, so what are you doing?But seriously, for me, Messi is the greatest that's ever lived.

He's better than Maradona.And not because of the stats, not because of the goals, not because of this World Cup, even if he goes to win it or not.But the little things, the ability to stick his ass out and take contact, and the ability to find passes, and the ability to play forward, ability to understand what's around them, and when to pass, and when not to get it, when to hang out in the sideline, when to run, is of the highest level.And the pressure on him, the other pressure on Argentina,whatever.But the pressure on him in the last 15 minutes, I think this is Detroit's point, and him to continue to say, no, no, just give it to me. I'll figure this out for us.

And he went into a mode, as soon as they went down 1 -0, Messi, the whole team, but Messi went into a mode that was unplayable.It was like an AI mode.It was like everything he did was perfect.And chasing loose balls and doing all these different things for the team.And I think, in the end, he did make the difference.And for me, Argentina deserve no question about it with big hearts and big, I can't say it on air, they deserve to be in the final.

So I think it's the correct outcome.But I do feel for England because I do think they put a lot into the game today.

Yeah, I was going to say, for Messi as well, just add to what they're saying is...it's also the trust of the players that the players kept on trusting and believing Messi to give him the ball because he's that special they know that he can make something happen when you play with top level talented players it's the same when you just know you've got someone special on your team that's just not normal not coached to become how he is he's just naturally gifted you're going to trust him to say right he's going to and he was everywhere wasn't he was on one wing one minute the other wig uh the other we're going to look at some of the comebacks as well the Argentina wig here's another wig You can't talk, Nigel, of all people.

The Comeback Kids in Atlanta, obviously they came back against Egypt, they did the same against England today.We're going to talk more about England in just a little bit, like Troy mentioned, but for Argentina to have this mentality, do you agree, Troy, that this puts Messi now as the undebated GOAT of all time?

Listen, I think it's always going to come down to everyone's perception.I'm not going to get into that because I think this is a bigger conversation than just Messi.Obviously, he's amazing and all the things...

But do you think they would have had that today without Messi?

Yeah, and that's what I'm going to get into because we were sat here, we had the boss here,to us and I said, I just hear they've come back in this competition a couple of times.They've come back in the last 10 years loads of times because they've now got into a comfortable position where Enzo Fernandez, people question whether he's 100 million or not, the mentality was 100 million.Big moment, hey, I'm going to do it.McAllister, big moment, I'm going to do it.Messi, Julian Alvarez, Martinez, they all go in this one, Big picture, every single player, whether you're on the bench, whether you're on the coaching staff, whether you're on the pitch, goes, not only do I believe, but I'm going to be the one.

I'm going to make sure I do my job to the best of my ability, and I'm going to be raising my level.So, yes, Messi's fantastic.Not taking anything away from him.Hit the post twice.A couple of good saves from Jordan Pickford.They had opportunities to score, but they also had opportunities to win, but they also never, at any moment in the time, went, this is over.

that was like, I'm going to be the one to step forward.And we've played in so many games, so many teams where you have that moment where you all buy in and you go in and go, we were good there.And then the next week it drops down.These guys go, we're going to win.I don't know how, I don't know when, but we're going to win.And they've been fantastic, you know.

really pays me to not get dug into England just yet, but Argentina.

Wow.You have to admire it.That's the thing.Forget about all the debate of what's going on around it.You have to admire what you've just witnessed and you talk about Messi as well.I think for me, when you look at it, you've got to give a lot of credit to Scaloni, the manager.

I think for me, he doesn't get a lot of credit that he deserves because when you look at having to manage this Argentina side with arguably one of the greatest players to play the game and to balance him and how he plays, how he feels, to make sure everyone else around him buys into it, that is what you're seeing on the football pitch there.The way that they play and everything about them, coming into this World Cup, we have many discussions going into the World Cup about teams and how we discuss teams.I described Argentina as a pack of wolves.I said when you look at them play, from watching them playing, whatever game they play in, they are so together, they're so united, they fight for one another, and they showed it today.Every time when someone tried to tackle Messi, they all got together around the referee.They are so united.

Stuff like that doesn't happen overnight in a dressing room.It takes a lot of togetherness, a lot of understanding, and also it takes a great manager up top to make you all be united in the same direction because they've all got big personalities and big characters.We can start naming some of those players.They're not small ego players.Very big egos, very big personalities, think a lot of themselves, but guess what?They're heading in the same direction and they've got one of the greatest players along there that they're all working for.

What were you going to say, Gryll?You were going to jump in then?

No, I wasn't.

No?

No.I'm just...You OK?

Are you?I want to make sure.

OK. I'm fine.You seem like you're upset still about England.

Well, yeah, I'm thrilled.We just got knocked out in the semi -final.Thanks for checking on us.Mackenzie, what about the bets today, though?How did things look on that front?Because it was really close, wasn't it, with the oddsmakers?

Yeah, well, I'm looking ahead to Spain -Argentina, and Spain is minus 175 to lift the trophy, which I...You guys tell me, this deep in the competition, anyone to be close to minus 200 seems a little bit bizarre to me, just blindly.I'd rather take the underdog in that situation, let alone Argentina, right?You guys talked about them winning from behind.It's plus 1 ,600 for Argentina to go on and win from behind.So maybe live betting opportunities, but I think the plus 1 ,600 is potentially worth a sprinkle here.

For me, you can get a draw at halftime at minus 125, just based off the way we saw this game play out.And now you're seeing a more competitive defense with Spain.That's probably my first bet I'll be taking.And, you know, I like to sprinkle on both teams to score as minus 115, so not bad at all.

Well, it'd be messy to score in the final.

They don't have props out yet, but I could see it being plus 150.maybe closer to plus 200.Even your stars are going to be at least plus 120 at this point in the competition.

OK, good stuff, early lines.What about even the changes that we saw Scaloni make?Because Lautaro Grell, you watch him every week in Serie A, for him to come on and score, and not only for the first time, by the way, because in the past he's been that super sub, hasn't he, for Argentina in clutch moments?

He's a goal scorer, he's good in the box.I think the one thing that we said in the first half was that when Argentina gets into those spots, they lacked a little bit of pace, but they also lacked the ability to cross it to somebody.I think Scaloni saw that when they went down 1 -0.It was easy to be more aggressive.So he put guys that could head the ball.He put Otamendi.

He put Lataro Martinez in.He put Nico Gonzalez, who's also very good in the air as well.And then all of a sudden, the game really tilted in Argentina's favor because they had targets to cross the ball to.It seemed like every ball that went in the box was almost a free header as well because I think of the quality of the cross that was coming in and the way that they were able to build to that moment, build to the cross.They were not just like, trying to get any garbage crossing.It was like a well worked out.

So yeah, Lautaro ends up playing the part and score in the winning goal.But I think just the subs and the way the game set up actually also put England in a bad, in an unfortunate spot because England went and had to make the subs to protect the game and Argentina had to make the subs to go and goal for the game.So once it was 1 -1, it was always going to be, I think, difficult for England not to get sort of pinned back again.And once we saw them raise nine minutes, I knew it was going to be a long way from home.

I disagree.We didn't have to.

go that way.

We chose to go defensively.I think the second half played out, as soon as England scored, it was like, right, shut up, shut up.

And it was too early to do that.

It was too early, but it was also all the things I've been concerned about from the Mexico game, which was ball going wide, crossing the box, ball going wide.But the difference was here, they had Messi, they had Enzo Fernandez, the pull when he came on.and they had this ability to not just go okay go wide and cross it, there's one that as it comes out to the pull everyone's thinking he's just got to lay it out to the right side, they cross it, he just whipped it in.And every England defender was like, whoa, what was that?McAllister ends up hitting the post, probably should have scored.But just that ability, and I was saying this when we played Mexico and everyone was saying how negative I was, but the ability that Arsenal had to just slip little balls in, little crosses and shots was fantastic.