Argentina’s head coach Lionel Scaloni reflected on his team’s 2-0 victory over Austria, a result that secured the reigning world champions’ place in the Round of 16 ahead of schedule.
The Albiceleste manager expressed satisfaction with his players’ performance, highlighting their ability to navigate challenging moments during the match.
“We are very pleased to have guaranteed our progression to the knockout stage. From the outside, it might have seemed like an easy task, but clearly, it was not. We had moments that required improvement. Once we started showing patience, we immediately began finding the right passes. There was no need to rush: if an attack needed to last two minutes, then so be it. There was a clear feeling that if we had scored that penalty, the game would have taken a completely different course, but in the end, we still managed to turn the situation around,” Scaloni commented.
Naturally, the Argentine coach also praised Lionel Messi’s phenomenal performance, noting the forward’s five goals in the opening two matches.
“When Lionel Messi gets involved in the game, everyone else steps up. Today, Leo did an enormous amount of work; he was the one who intercepted the ball leading to the goal. He is always fully committed to the team—that’s the message he conveys to those around him. Honestly, I don’t know what else can be said about him,” the Argentina head coach admitted.
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