Andre Blake relishes dueling with Lionel Messi in a Jamaica vs. Argentina showcase

HARRISON, N.J. — If the national team you play for fails to qualify for a World Cup, the next-best thing is … well, there is no next-best thing, really.

But for Andre Blake and Jamaica, being Argentina’s last opponent before Lionel Messi and company head to Qatar was a big deal. So the Reggae Boyz had their A team at Red Bull Arena on Tuesday, including their captain in net.

Blake knew the field he was standing on perhaps better than anyone in the building, having played there eight times previously with the Union. In fact, it was just over three weeks since thousands of traveling Union fans serenaded him with “M-V-P!” chants after a shutout win there.

There was no such scene this time. A sellout crowd of 25,000 formed a sea of Argentine sky blue and white, dashed with sprinkles of Jamaican green and gold.

The lack of official stakes allowed everyone to sit back and savor it. Argentina’s fan base is legendary for its passion, a hinchada that travels with hordes of flags, drums, jerseys, face paint, and grilled meats for asados in the parking lot. They know how to sing, too, from the wordless-but-buoyant national anthem to the serenade that Diego Maradona is better than Pelé.

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They came to see Messi, but not just him. Argentina is so deep that Messi watched the first half from the bench as veteran stars Angel Dí María (Juventus) and Lautaro Martínez (Inter Milan) led the attack, joined by a big-time young phenom in Julián Álvarez (Manchester City).

In a month and a half, they will take the field in Qatar as one of the favorites to win it all — and bring Messi the only prize he doesn’t have.

The 35-year-old has won four European Cups, three Club World Cups, 18 domestic titles at European clubs, an Olympic gold, and, at last, lifted the Copa América last year. But Messi has never won a World Cup. Only once has he even reached a final, eight years ago in Brazil, and it was a bitter loss to Germany.

Now Argentina has the talent and the steel to end not just Messi’s drought but the nation’s 36-year wait. It showed it again in a 3-0 win, with two brilliant Messi strikes and a neat team goal that Álvarez finished.

Count Blake as an expert witness.

“It’s a world-class team — that’s the easiest way to put it,” he said afterward. “It’s a different ballgame. The quality of play and the speed of play, everything is a different level. But I enjoyed every moment of it, and it was a great experience.”

It didn’t take long for Argentina to get in gear. Blake made a fine save on Dí María in the fifth minute, but eight minutes later, he was beaten by Álvarez after Martínez tore Jamaica’s defense open with some brilliant dribbling.

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The goal sequence was started by left back Nicolás Tagliafico (Lyon), one of many contributions to the steel column. Remember his name and these others come November: defensive midfielders Rodrigo De Paul (Atlético Madrid) and Enzo Fernández (Benfica), and centerbacks Lisandro Martínez (Manchester United) and Cristian Romero (Tottenham Hotspur).

Jamaica held its own in the first half, allowing nine shots but only three on target. Blake had a second save on Dí María in the 26th and seemed to be one of the calmest people in the building.

Just after the start of the second half, Messi started jogging on the sideline to warm up. A few minutes later, a roar went up from that corner of the stands, so loud and sharp that you knew what it was without looking.

In the 54th minute, he took the field with Fernández, and the electricity was immediately cranked higher.

“Mes-si! Mes-si!” the fans chanted, able to see him up close in a stadium far smaller than the NFL behemoths Argentina usually visits here.

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Blake’s turn to get close came in the 68th minute, when Messi danced past four Jamaican defenders and got free on the left side of the 18-yard box. He fired toward the near post, and Blake snuffed it out for a corner kick.

With that, Blake added the world’s greatest player to the list of players he has stopped.

Two minutes later, Messi helped spring Álvarez, and Blake rushed off his line to make a diving snag of the loose ball. And in the 84th, Blake caught a low shot that Messi hit right at him from atop the 18-yard box.

Finally, in the 86th, Messi got his: a thunderbolt from 21 yards, with his body swerving rightward to rasp the ball low to Blake’s far post. The crowd erupted.

The decibel level went even higher two minutes later, when Messi won a free kick just outside the box. He stepped up and bent the ball around the wall on the ground, then into the net just past Blake’s outstretched hands. The crowd chanted Messi’s name again, waving flags and scarves and jerseys the way Philadelphians wave rally towels.

“I think I forgot who was over the ball,” Blake said. “I gambled by trying to be a little bit to my left to give myself a chance to make the save over the wall … I was full-stretched and still wasn’t able to keep it out.”

Soon thereafter, the game was over.

“He’s the best in the world,” Blake said of Messi. “I wish I was able to make those saves, but world-class players do world-class things. … It was definitely an honor and a moment I’ll cherish forever — not the moment that he scored, but being able to play against him and save a few of his shots.”

Spoken like a goalkeeper should — and like a player who knew he had an experience worth remembering for a long time.

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