Ingila ta doke ɗaya daga cikin ƙasashen da ke karɓar baƙi a filinsu na Azteca, sannan ta kawar da Erling Haaland da Norway a zagaye na kusa da na ƙarshe. Yanzu tana fuskantar masu riƙe da kofin — Argentina — a zagaye na ƙarshe kafin na ƙarshe na kowane gasar Kofin Duniya. Wanda ke hana su ci nasara shi ne Lionel Messi, wanda ke buga wasan kansa na farko da Ingila a duk cikin aikinsa na ƙasa da ƙasa na wasanni 206.

"Ban taɓa fuskantarsa da Ingila ba," in ji Messi bayan Argentina ta samu cancantar shiga. "Shi ne karon farko, don haka za ta zama wasa na musamman."

Inuwar Maradona tana zaune a kan al'amarin

Wannan taron yana cike da tarihi — tun daga sharhin Sir Alf Ramsey game da "dabbobi" a shekarar 1966 zuwa Hannun Allah da Kwalliyar Karni da Diego Maradona ya yi a Mexico shekaru ashirin bayan haka. Yaƙi, mulkin mallaka, Michael Owen yana gudana zuwa gida, da hauka na David Beckham kan Diego Simeone a shekarar 1998: babu hamayya a ƙwallon ƙafa da ke ɗauke da nauyin tarihi mai wannan girma.

Yanzu, a juzu'i da ya isa ya fi duk rubutaccen labari, Messi yana fuskantar Ingila yana ɗan shekara 39 — kusan shekarun da Maradona ya yi tarihi a kan wannan abokin hamayya ɗaya. Har ma da kalar riguna, Argentina da shuɗin sararin sama da fari a kan farar Ingila, za ta dawo da zamanin 1986. Gianni Infantino da kansa ba zai iya rubuta rubutun da ya fi wannan kyau ba.

Kamfen mai ban mamaki a gasar

Messi ya isa wannan gasar kuma nan da nan ya kawar da duk wata shakka game da lafiyarsa da yunwarsa ta cin nasara. Hat-trick dinsa a wasan farko na Argentina da Algeria ya saita sautin gasar, kuma ya ci gaba da ci kwallo a wasanni huɗu masu zuwa. Wasansa ɗaya kawai ba tare da kwallo ba — a kan Switzerland — shi ne kawai irin wannan a tafiyarsa har zuwa yanzu.

Jimillar kwallayensa takwas tana sa shi ya zama daidai da Kylian Mbappe a saman jerin Takalmin Zinariya — hamayya da ta sabunta daga Qatar. Amma kwallaye kawai ba su bayyana cikakken gudummawarsa ba. Messi yana kan gaba a gasar baki ɗayanta wajen ƙirƙira damar zura ƙwallo da manyan damar zura ƙwallo, yana kan matsayi na ɗaya tare da wasu wajen damammakin wasan ƙwallo a daidaitacciyar wuri, kuma yana gaba da duk wani ɗan wasa wajen kammala ƙwallon da ke shiga ƙarƙashin masu tsaro. Ya kuma gwada harbi 16 daga wajen filin fanareti — biyar fiye da kowane ɗan wasa.

Yadda ƙungiyar Thomas Tuchel za ta iya dakatar da shi

Dakatar da Messi ba tambaya ce ta yanke wadata kamar yadda yake da Haaland kan Norway ba. Messi baya buƙatar ƙwallo a wurare masu haɗari don samar da haɗari — yana kewayawa, yana nemo sarari, kuma yana ƙirƙira wasan daga mawuyacin hali da alama babu cutarwa. A kan Egypt da Switzerland, ya koma fiff ɗin dama yayin da sararin tsakiya ya zama mai cunkoson jama'a.

Wannan tsarin yana nuni zuwa gefen hagu na Ingila a matsayin filin yaƙi mai mahimmanci. Djed Spence, wanda ya shigo a matsayin wanda ya maye wurin a kan Norway, ya ba da wasan da ya ja hankali — ya samu fanareti (wanda VAR ya soke daga baya), ya yi katse mai ƙarfi a ɓangaren ƙarshe na filin, kuma ya gama da kaɗa ƙoƙon ƙafar hannunsa a cikin filin bugun fanareti na abokin gaba daidai da Harry Kane duk da shiga a minti na 86. Iyawarsa ta kare kai-da-kai a gaban ɗan wasa ɗaya ya samu yabo mai yawa, kuma kawai John Stones ne ya yi karin kaurace a wannan wasan.

Thomas Tuchel dole ne kuma ya lissafta sauran 'yan wasan Argentina. Julian Alvarez ya ci kwallon ban mamaki a kan Switzerland, kuma Lautaro Martinez ya ba da taimakon kwalliyar da ta yanke hukunci na Enzo Fernandez a kan Egypt. Argentina ta fi ƙungiyar ɗan wasa ɗaya da yawa.

Wani lokaci ɗaya da za a rubuta tarihi?

A ɗan shekara 39, Messi ya zama ɗan wasa wanda ke tasiri wasanni ta hanyar walƙiyar inganci maimakon mamayewa na minti 90 baki ɗaya. "Mun zo nan ta hanyar ƙoƙari mai yawa, wasan dogon lokaci kuma," ya amince bayan wasan Switzerland. "Kuma wani lokaci, yana bayyana."

Idan ya samu ƙirƙira wani lokaci mai yanke hukunci a kan Ingila — ko kwallo, ko taimako, ko walƙiyar sihiri na halitta — tatsuniyar Messi, mai tsayi a yanzu, za ta kai wani matsayi mafi girma. Ga Ingila, dakatar da shi shi ne aikin. Babu wanda ya yi nasara a wannan Kofin Duniya har yanzu.