Lionel Messi goes 'missing' from FIFA World Cup 2018, leaves Argentina on the brink

Name: Lionel Messi goes 'missing' from FIFA World Cup 2018, leaves Argentina on the brink
Uploaded: 23 Jun 2018, 11:15:05 PM
Duration: 01:00
Channel: TIMESOFINDIA.COM

| Jun 23, 2018, 11:15:05 PM | GIST

There was no magic and an excess of reality in the gruesome display by Argentina on the football field of Niznhy Novgorod against Croatia. Following a month of media hype that spread from Argentina to Russia, the Messi brand was hyped up while the man on the pitch remained as small, introverted and enigmatic as ever. If the first match against Iceland had left one gasping for air, a solitary point with a new burden for Lionel Messi to live with (the failed penalty), the second Act saw him reduced even further. The shadow of Maradona may be a contributing factor to the tiny genius’ mental block when it comes to the national team, but he wasn’t even able to be a shadow of himself on the night they most needed to recover.