The match had ended but the magic spell lingered on for some time.

At the end of the clash on Friday, when I made my way down from the gallery along with friend and actor Rahul Bose, we were dumbfounded for a few minutes. There was silence, but it was not difficult to imagine that we were both thinking on similar lines — how can a 24-year-old boy single-handedly make such a huge impact on the proceedings of a top class international match?

Before I proceed further, let me make one thing clear — like the rest of the 85 thousand people in the stands, I, too, was present at the Salt Lake Stadium to watch Lionel Messi in action. I watched him, and just like possibly everyone else, I am going home a very satisfied man. Messi has, once again, proved that when it comes to football, he is unarguably the world’s best player.

Sceptics might say that Argentina, who had previously defeated Venezuela hollow each time they met on the field, were hardly at their best on Friday. However, given the sultry weather that had the players in some discomfort, it was not a performance that could be so easily discounted.

Even before the second half, when the referee allowed the players a couple of minutes break to drink some water, I was afraid the weather might get the better of Messi. But that was not to be. He was very impressive whenever he had the ball.

Like everyone else at the ground, I also wanted Messi to score a goal and make the evening memorable. True, he did not find the back of the net, but then it was from Messi’s flag kick that the only goal of the match was scored. It was taken with such accuracy that Nicolas Otamendi did not have to do too much to beat the goalkeeper.

I would like to point out something — never for a moment make the mistake of thinking that Argentina, or Messi, did not give their full in front of the cheering Calcutta crowd. We should not compare this match with a Champions League or a World Cup game, where the stake is much higher.

Yet, Messi should have scored on at least a couple of occasions. He was distinctly unlucky not to get his name on the scorers’ list. Whenever he had the ball, the Venezuelan defence did not seem to have a clue on how to react. To me, those magical touches of Messi were the most enjoyable moments of the match.

There is no denying that Argentina were the better team and could have won by a bigger margin. Venezuela, though, made some forays, particularly during the closing stages of the first half. Messi tried his best to pressurise the rival defence but Venezuela were successful in keeping them away.

Somehow, Messi looked the only player who could penetrate through the rival defence. Argentina coach Alejandro Sabella made substitutions in the second half, but nothing worked. I was surprised to find out how Argentina were trying to copy the Barcelona style of play, especially when it came to defence.

It was difficult to understand why Argentina were playing with two stoppers with Javier Mascherano as a defensive midfielder. They were also trying to push their two wing backs upfront. It is the typical Barcelona style but the only difference is that the Spanish club side have the ability to create tremendous pressure, a quality which Argentina are yet to acquire. No wonder, their defence looked shaky. I am sure Sabella noticed this flaw and would take necessary corrective measures.

A lot of people may argue that the match was played at a slower pace than usual. For that, I squarely blame the weather, which was not ideal for a speedy encounter. Despite all these, what I really enjoyed is the way they made playing football look so easy. Whatever they did — passing the ball, controlling it and even taking a shot — was done with extreme smoothness and sound technique. Those are the signs of quality football and there was no dearth of it at the Salt Lake.

Indian football fans will surely be impressed with what they saw at the Salt Lake Stadium and there is plenty that we can take home. The biggest gain though is inspiration: Messi and Co. have surely showed us how football can be such a beautiful game. Hopefully, several of us would be inspired.