Messi magic the difference, says Batista

Argentina coach Sergio Batista hailed the influence of Lionel Messi, who was at his imperious best in his side’s 2-1 win over Portugal in Geneva.

The Barcelona superstar created Angel di Maria’s opener and later scored the winner from the penalty spot after Cristiano Ronaldo had levelled for Portugal.

Batista reserved special praise for Messi, whose highly anticipated duel with Ronaldo was the highlight of the evening.

“I enjoy watching the two (Ronaldo and Messi), but for me it seemed that today Lionel was a step above,” he said.

Batista also had some kind words for 20-year-old debutant Marcos Rojo, who impressed at left back and stifled the influence of Manchester United winger Nani.

“I liked how he handled himself tonight, it is never easy marking a player like Nani,” Batista said.

“We are still lacking a little bit of depth, but in general the team is looking good.”

Messi said he was pleased with his own performance, and that of the team.

“I felt great. We played a great game. We tried our best on a terrible pitch,” Messi said.

“We know exactly what our tactics and game plan are. We have won our last few matches and we have to continue in the same fashion.”

Meanwhile, Portugal coach Paolo Bento thought his side were equal to Argentina on the night.

“We must accept the result, although it’s always hard to accept a loss,” Bento told Record. “I think for the most part, we played well and were not inferior to Argentina.”

“The press focus a lot on the wins and losses, but the most important thing is that we are on a journey of four games – two of which are Euro qualifiers – which will hopefully bring us back into the race to qualify.”