Messi mania, Messi madness, Messi record-breaking came to conquer in Dallas

Austria was not an underdog. 

It is important to Roman — an Austrian man in his 50s who is making a summer pilgrimage across the United States, the cross-country trip evidence of the near-religious faith he has in his country’s soccer team — that Americans understand that. Austria had it in them to win, and an hour before Monday’s World Cup match at Dallas Stadium, Roman was sure that they would. 

In the end, though, Austria’s role was that of an antagonist in red during their match against Argentina. They were a storybook villain whose purpose was to be bested; a foil to show just how heroic the afternoon’s leading man could be. 

Because for 90-plus minutes, no man in that stadium mattered besides Lionel Messi.

The Argentine legend made history on the North Texas pitch during the match’s first half, when one perfect strike found the back of the net and cemented him as the all-time men’s leading World Cup goal scorer. When he claimed the game’s second point in the match clock’s final minutes, the stadium seemed to agree that this — his fifth goal in two games, his 18th across all World Cups; a miraculous ball that passed through the legs of three vanquished bad guys, defenders left totally defenseless — was inevitable. 

“It means everything,” one woman wailed as the match came to a close. This was the kind of jubilation that inspires tears. She was clad in the white and pale blue of Argentina, as was her son, her husband and a majority of the 71,000-person crowd. 

Better luck to Roman and the Austrians this weekend in Kansas City. 

Argentina’s 2-0 win over Austria guarantees that the reigning World Cup champions will move on to the next stage of the tournament, the round of 32 teams. The team will return to Dallas Stadium this Saturday to face Jordan, their final opponent before sudden death. 

The Dallas double-header has made North Texas a hotspot for Argentina fans. In April, the North Texas World Cup organizing committee estimated that 100,000 Messi-obsessed spectators were expected to come to town for the games, and Monday’s match proved that Argentina does indeed travel well. 

The sea of blue turned Dallas Stadium into a home field for Messi, who took his moment and then took it again. And though Austria’s fan sections were in the vast minority, the red enclaves cheered until the very end. 

After the game, Argentina fans jumped together, arm in arm, outside the stadium. Victory became a five-letter word they shouted until it could never be forgotten: 

Messi, Messi, Messi, Messi.