Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez was the hero in Argentina’s epic 3-2 comeback win against Egypt in the World Cup round of 16.
It was Fernandez who scored Argentina’s winning goal to set up a quarter-final clash against Switzerland.
The match went to extra time, but La Albiceleste managed to win 3-1 in the end thanks to Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez.
This time around, Fernandez did not influence the game, which has not gone unnoticed.
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One Argentine outlet, sports newspaper Ole, really tore into Fernandez’s performance after the final whistle. On the Chelsea star’s showing, they wrote: “The goal against Egypt definitely didn’t change his lacklustre form.
“His best moments came when he tried to combine in short passes with [Leandro] Paredes and [Lionel] Messi, but it always ended up in the same bottleneck that Argentina found itself trapped in for most of the match. At the start of extra time, he was substituted to make way for Thiago [Almada].”
Taking on England in the semi-finals, Fernandez will have to up his game. It will not be an easy match for Argentina, who are now eyeing successive World Cup triumphs.
Fernandez is set to clash with Chelsea teammate Reece James, who featured in England’s 2-1 victory over Norway on Saturday. James picked up a hamstring injury earlier in the tournament, but there were no issues against Norway.
Fernandez and James may not actually be teammates by the time the new season starts. It has been out in the open for some time now that the former wants to leave Stamford Bridge.
Of course, Real Madrid ruled out making a move for Fernandez in an official statement, but those were just words. Whether they actually stick to what they have said remains to be seen.
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Ideally, Chelsea will want to keep hold of Fernandez, and his goal against Egypt epitomises why. The 25-year-old is capable of popping up and scoring at just the right time, something that he did on so many occasions for Chelsea last season.
The former Benfica man is not someone Xabi Alonso will want to lose. But clearly he is not happy in west London at this moment in time.
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