Barcelona past and present met in Qatar as Group C reached a dramatic conclusion on Wednesday night. Mexico beat Saudi Arabia 2-1 but still fell short of qualifying despite Poland losing 2-0 to Argentina.
As the two games came to their conclusion, Mexico pressed for a third goal that would have seen them leapfrog Poland into second place, but they conceded a late goal to scupper their chances. That wasn't to be known for the European side though, as they were on the end of a barrage of Argentina attacks, desperate not to let a third goal of their own in.
Everything ended positively for both sides at Stadium 974 though as Argentina and Poland both ended up qualifying for the last-16. Tempers flared a little bit before the joyful end-of-game celebrations though - even if they were slightly sheepish from the Poles.
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In superstar terms, this was Lionel Messi vs Robert Lewandowski. Barcelona's former great against the man they banked on replacing him. No such relationship seems to exist on the pitch though. As the former Bayern Munich striker joined his team's efforts to shut the gate and see out the game with just a 2-0 scoreline, something that didn't look too convincing, even the forward pulled rank.
With Messi dazzling for much of the game, Lewandowski took matters into his own hands, fouling the Paris Saint-Germain star. Although the 34-year-old may have seen the funny side to things, trying to give the Argentine a quick apology and a pat on the back, Messi wasn't in the mood and ignored him, swiftly making a pass from the resultant free-kick.
There was an exchange of words at full-time when the fate had been decided though, but that doesn't full explain how the two have communicated in years gone by. Despite their Barcelona links, Messi and Lewandowski haven't always seen eye-to-eye.
Having been the favourite to win the 2020 Ballon d'Or, Lewandowski saw the award cancelled due to Covid-19, and Messi scooped the 2021 prize. Lewandowksi did get given the 2021 FIFA Men's the Best award instead, and it prompted a change of heart from the marksman. "I have been thinking lately and I have come to the conclusion that the FIFA award is more important," he said.
"Only journalists vote for the Ballon d'Or, there is no clear verification. Instead, professional football and the press vote for the FIFA award. The captains and coaches of each national team can evaluate our performances in a more realistic and objective way, because they know how much each match, each record, each injury means.
"Perhaps in the prestigious ranking, the Ballon d’Or is better positioned, but the recognition I received by winning The Best makes me proud because I know how hard I worked for many years."
It was also reported at this time by German outlet Bild, that Messi had not listed Lewandowski in his top three players, whereas Messi appeared at the top of Lewandowski's list. It was seen as a tactic to put the Argentine in a better position to win the award.
Lewandowski explained his decision, saying, "I did vote for him because I appreciate what he did this year and before. Messi said he would vote for me for the Ballon d'Or, did his point of view change later? I don't know. I have no complaints, he made his decision and that's it. Anyway, I won the award, so it was easier for me to accept it."
Messi then told TyC Sports: "Everyone says what they want and obviously he can express himself and say what he wants. I honestly do not share what he said, but I did not give him more importance either. That's it, he stayed there and he says what he wants and I'm not interested.
"But the words I said at that time were from the heart and because I really felt that way. I said that he deserved the Ballon d’Or before, because the previous year had seemed to me that it had been the best, but the year that I won it, he was not the best. I just said that.”
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