Coach Cristiano and Doan Van Hau lavished praise on Messi

The reigning World Cup champions, the Argentine national team, had a favorable opening match with a 3-0 victory over Algeria. Notably, all three goals were scored by superstar Lionel Messi. The player born in 1987 delivered a perfect performance, continuing to be the most reliable pillar in the attack of the South American representatives.

Using many flattering words to praise Messi's performance as well as the play of the reigning champions on their opening day, defender Doan Van Hau commented: "I saw that Argentina played a very proactive and complete match. From the start, they chose a possession-based style, rotated the pace reasonably, and patiently stretched Algeria's defense.

When the opportunity arose, the Argentine players actively accelerated in the final third and created many dangerous attacks. What impressed me most was the variety of approaches Argentina used to reach the goal in this match. They didn't just attack through the middle but also exploited the flanks extremely well, creating space for midfielders and forwards to cut into the penalty area.

As for Messi, there are perhaps no words left to describe his greatness. Messi not only directly scored goals but also regulated the game, always knowing how to make a difference at the most crucial moments. His positioning, ball handling in tight spaces, and finishing are still on a completely different level from the rest."

Sharing the same view as Van Hau, coach Cristiano Roland highly praised the reasonable tactical calculations of the Argentine coaching staff in knowing how to maximize the influence of the number 10 superstar: "Argentina has a very scientific system operating around Messi. They control space well and know how to punish opponents at the moment when the opposing defense is least alert.

Furthermore, Argentina organized proactive defensive cover very tightly. Sometimes they deliberately conceded a bit of space in their own half, giving the opponent a feeling that they could attack, but immediately afterward their team block would shift to press and seal off all dangerous gaps.

Argentina's two flanks were always ready to push up and attack directly as soon as they regained the ball, creating sharp counterattacks. I must say that Argentina played far better than Algeria; they knew how to fully exploit the opponent's weaknesses to deliver the decisive blow."

In the next two group stage matches, the Argentine team will face Austria and Jordan respectively. With a resounding 3-0 victory in the opening match, the South American representatives can certainly consider rotating their squad and saving energy for key players to plan for the long haul when entering the knockout stage.