The entire world tuned in as Lionel Messi and his squad retrieved a successful rescue mission against Mexico in a 2-0 victory.

Playing at the Lusail Stadium, Argentina fought hard at the beginning of the match to win all three points against Mexico, in what was a must-win Group C clash.

In the 10th minute, Mexico received a free-kick which Cesar Montes took to the left side of the pitch, with captain Hector Herrera missing the catch.

Both teams played aggressively in the match, with referee Daniele Orsato signalling several warnings to the two sides.

Mexico’s Nestor Araujo received the first yellow card for a bad foul, as he took down Marcos Acuna.

A quarter of the way through the match, Argentina held most of the possession at 67.4%, with Mexico holding down the defensive line against the tournament favourites.

In the 34th minute, Messi was awarded a threatening free-kick from the right corner which curled itself into the hands of goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa.

Before the whistle blew for halftime, Lautaro Martínez headed the ball from the centre of the box, slightly missing the net.

Mexico responded with an attack of its own as Alexis Vega’s free-kick was metres away from clocking in a point for the underdogs.

Emiliano Martinez rescued the ball swiftly again, bringing Argentina’s fears to an end.

After halftime, Argentina seemed focussed, yet desperate to make an opportunity count against the Mexicans.

With countless free-kicks gifted, Messi missed another as the ball flew over the box.

The pressure was felt within the stadium as the Mexican defence cut several runs by Messi’s star-studded squad.

The Argentinian talisman would get his chance in the end, firing a shot that beat Ochoa’s plunge and lodged into the bottom right corner of the net.

Gerardo Martino made a few surprise substitutions after the goal, bringing in forward Raul Jimenez and Uriel Antuna in the 67th minute.

Martino’s defence strategy failed to stop 21-year-old Enzo Fernandez from receiving an assist from Messi, as he drilled a right-footer into the top corner in the 87th minute.

The match continued to run with 6 minutes of extra time that only found Mexico collapsing to an admirably-led Argentine squad.