Jureidini backs Messi to be the difference maker

FOOTBALL ANALYST Clyde Jureidini can see today’s FIFA World Cup final going to extra time in Qatar because Argentina and France, the holders of the coveted trophy, are both so good. However, he thinks superstar Lionel Messi gives the Argentines the edge.

Speaking a day after France outlasted Morocco in the second semifinal, Jureidini reasoned, “that slight edge leads towards Messi.”

His assessment of the 35-year-old Argentine’s World Cup performance so far is based on his five-goal and three-assist tour of Qatar.

“He has shown from his individual excellence in the last game that he is up and ready,” the Harbour View football stalwart underlined with reference to Messi’s performance against Croatia in the first semi.

Messi’s Paris St Germain teammate Kylian Mbappé had to change his boots after a heavy tackle by Morocco’s Sofyan Amrabat in France’s semifinal win, leading Jureidini to observe, “I think, he looks like he got a little knock yesterday and it looks like he’s not 100 per cent, even though he doesn’t want his opponents or the world to know that.”

Coincidentally, Messi and Mbappé lead the list of top scorers at the World Cup with five each, and there’s a France-Argentina tie for third with Messi’s strike partner Alvarez and Olivier Giroud, France’s all-time scoring leader.

Overall, France have scored 13 goals in Qatar and conceded five, with Argentina standing at 12-5.

“France prefer to play on the front foot,” Jureidini contended, “and will but again, as we saw in the game against Morocco, and in some of their games earlier, they can be outplayed.”

He pointed to England’s dominance over France in their quarterfinal, won by the Blues 2-1, but praised the tactics of French coach Didier Deschamps, who has directed the team to the final this time without the services of Ballon D’or winner Karim Benzema and 2018 World Cup winners N’Golo Kante and Paul Pogba and with key defenders Adrien Rabiot in the semi.

“You put those tactics and teamwork down to Deschamps and his technical team.”

If France win, Deschamps will be the first World Cup-winning player to coach his national team to two World Cup triumphs.

Jureidini hopes the game will go past 90 minutes.

“Quite frankly, I would like it to go to extra time, as a fan, and to test the endurance and the grit and determination to lift this world championship and if penalties, then so be it,” he confessed.

“My ultimate wish is that somebody wins it in extra time and it doesn’t go to penalties,” he added, “but I think just for the whole grandeur of this, what to me is the best World Cup ever, I want to see the competitiveness play itself out and to go a little bit extra because, as it’s the finale and get to who really is the best team and the best player and worthy to be champions before the 32-team format changes to 48 for the next World Cup.”

Both teams are vying for a third World Cup title, with Argentina winning in 1978 and 1986 and France winning in 1998 and 2018.