Gonzalo Higuain was a relieved man and it was all because of his important strike against Belgium as the goal not only ended his scoring drought in the World Cup, but also saw Argentina through to the semi-finals of the tournament for the first time since 1990.
His goal also earned him the man of the match award and during the presentation ceremony he did not hold back his emotions and said, “I feel incredibly happy, and I’d like to share that happiness with my family and the whole of Argentina.
“Ever since the first game I’ve been saying that I wasn’t worried, that my first goal would come, and fortunately it came at a crucial time.
“It’s been a long time since Argentina reached the semi-finals and I’m happy it’s this group of players that managed it, because they deserve it. Now we want to keep going and reach the final,” Higuain added.
It was quite natural to see the Napoli striker surrounded by the Argentine press in the mixed zone as Higuain only moved towards the team bus when the media allowed him to leave after several questions.
Higuain entered Saturday’s match without a goal, but needed just eight minutes to find the back of the net, volleying home a deflected ball past Thibaut Courtois. He continued to be a threat as the match evolved, finding his way around the Belgian defence once more in the 55th minute but his blasted shot deflected off of the crossbar.
After playing a major role in the qualifying round with nine goals in 11 matches, the striker had failed to score in the World Cup group games and round of 16. Coach Alejandro Sabella, however, had full faith in him and didn’t Higuain repay the faith in some style. It was Higuain’s fifth World Cup goal, the previous four coming in 2010 in the form of a hat-trick against South Korea and a goal against Mexico.
Standing at six feet and a weight of 82 kilograms, Higuain accelerated probably at the right time and he promised to hold on to it and help Argentina claim the third World Cup.
