A touch, quite literally, of genius.
As he hit a millennium of appearances, Leo Messi offered a moment that showed why he is not just the player of his generation but perhaps any generation. There was no upset on this landmark occasion, but instead a suitably signature goal. Messi scored one of his trademark finishes, that exquisitely accurate slide into the corner, but on a stage he never has before. It was his first goal in a World Cup knock-out match, on his ninth such fixture.
