He does it. Messi scores and makes the fans go wild. Co-favourites Argentina are not convincing, but win. And now it’s the Messi vs. Lewandowski showdown.

Lionel Messi stood in front of the raging sky-blue-and-white wall of fans, he sent kissing hands into the curve, enjoyed the moment of great redemption and shouted to his compatriots: “Vamos!”. With his second goal at the World Cup tournament in Qatar, the 35-year-old superstar paved the way for Argentina to beat Mexico 2-0 (0-0) in the gritty and long-tough Latin American summit on Saturday. After Messi took the lead in the 64th minute, Enzo Fernández scored the decisive goal in the 87th minute.

This now sets up the ultimate showdown with world footballer Robert Lewandowski and his Poland next Wednesday. The Eastern Europeans around the current Barça star have four points, Argentina and Saudi Arabia three, Mexico remains at one. Earlier, the Poles had won 2-0 against the Saudis and made the group exciting.

A day after Argentina’s collective mourning on the second anniversary of Diego Maradona’s death, Messi, his sporting heir, had to set the record straight. During the anthem, the Argentines demonstratively moved closer together, Messi took another deep breath before his 21st World Cup game – as many as Maradona once played, including the victorious World Cup final in 1986.

Messi also wants to reach the 2022 final. And there was already a final atmosphere in the sold-out and noisy Lusail Stadium with 88,966 spectators. Not only because it was all or nothing for Messi and his Argentinians in the second group match. Tens of thousands of Argentine fans against tens of thousands from Mexico also fuelled the heated duel on the pitch, which for a long time was no footballing feast.

The first scuffle came less than five minutes into the match: Alexis Vega elbowed Gonzalo Montiel, one of the five new players brought in by Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni four days after a disgraceful 2-1 defeat to underdog Saudi Arabia – virtually all of them in the defensive area. Safety first and Messi should help up front.

The 35-year-old’s range of movement was initially limited. On Tuesday, he had given the Argentinians, unbeaten in 36 games up to that point, the lead with his seventh World Cup goal in the 10th minute from the penalty spot. This time, the first chance to score was a long time coming, despite Argentina’s massive advantage in possession. In the 25th minute, Messi briefly picked up the pace. But Montiel’s subsequent cross was too inaccurate.

A rather rare header by Messi a few minutes later went well over the goal, and a free-kick flick a short time later was fisted into the Qatari night sky by Guillermo Ochoa.

Mexico tried to keep the Argentines away from their own goal with a five-man bar. And they broke up the flow of the game with constant duels, and like the Argentines, they were not very strict about the rules. They were successful, with Lautaro Martínez creating another chance, but that was all the Argentines could manage in the first 45 minutes. Coach Scaloni threatened to despair, gesticulating wildly on the sidelines. A goal was needed to calm the nerves.

Mexico sensed this, coach Gerardo Martino knew it. He is Argentinian and coached the team for two years from the summer of 2014. For his commitment to the Mexicans, the South American fans booed him before the game. They then had to hold their breath shortly before the break: a free kick in front of the sky-blue-and-white fan wall of Mexico’s Vega had keeper Emiliano Martínez lying across in the air.

Against the Saudis, the Argentines conceded the two goals within a few minutes, this time they held their own, but again they were not convincing. And then a free kick, Messi was fouled, from behind and in front. Ideal position: half-right, 18 metres. Shouts of “Messi, Messi” echoed through the stadium, but the ball went clearly over. Messi bent forward, supported himself with his hands. Nothing again. Resignation? No.

Messi dropped back a little further after the change of ends. His strength, getting the ball, acting quickly. The Argentinians’ game became more dangerous. And on one occasion, the Mexicans, who usually defend so consistently, gave Messi more space than they should have – and that was enough.

He took the ball a good 20 metres from the goal, played it forward once and scored flat into the right corner to make it 1:0. Ochoa was powerless, Messi took off in jubilation and celebrated to the deafening cheers of the fans. Mexico tried everything again, Martino changed offensively. But Fernandez struck instead, and the goal was not scored.