Scaloni: When Messi is activated, Argentina is activated

For a long time in the AT&T Stadium, Austria made things difficult for Argentina. It controlled possession and stopped the world champions from dictating the game.

But when the match was over, both coaches came to the same explanation for Argentina’s 2-0 victory.

Lionel Messi.

«This is Lionel Messi. He doesn’t need many situations to decide a match,» said Austria coach Ralf Rangnick.

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni echoed the same sentiments. “When Leo gets activated, everyone gets activated,” he said.

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The consensus reflected the reality of the afternoon. The Austrian game plan worked for a long time, but Messi, despite missing a penalty, finally found a way.

“We had control of the ball, which no one expected,” Rangnick said. «During every match at a World Cup there are phases where one team has the momentum. We were lucky with the (Argentine) penalty miss and I would have liked my players to have shot more.»

Austria’s frustration extended beyond the inability to convert possession into clear-cut opportunities. Rangnick believed that Messi’s opening goal and record goal should never have stood, arguing that VAR should have intervened. “For the first goal, VAR should have asked the referee to see a foul against one of our midfielders Xaver Schlager from Alexis Mac Allister,” he said.

However, the Austrian coach acknowledged that his side ultimately failed to capitalize on their chances and were undone by Messi’s quality.

«We were not able to cancel out all the counter-attacks. In the second half we did much better, except in the last five minutes,» he said. “When someone is 39 and scores two goals and has already scored five goals in two games so early in the tournament, it shows he is one of the best.”

Scaloni, meanwhile, was also pleased with his captain’s overall contribution on the field. «We are happy with Leo’s performance. When the team was struggling without possession, you could see his dedication. He was everywhere, stole the ball and worked hard for the team,» said Scaloni.

Although Scaloni accepted that his team spent periods without possession, Scaloni viewed Argentina’s resilience as one of the most encouraging aspects of the performance. «Today we suffered sometimes because we did not have possession of the ball, and we know how to suffer as a team,» said the World Cup-winning coach. «That is commendable. If you don’t have the ball, you have to defend. If the opponent attacks with many players, you have to defend.»

However, Scaloni rejected the suggestion that Austria’s territorial advantage amounted to domination. «I won’t say the opponents dominated because dominance didn’t mean shots on target. They made it difficult for us when we didn’t have possession.»

That difference in interpretation may remain, but there is no doubt about the player who made the difference.

Published on June 23, 2026