It was the time for the saviour to strike...and well, how many times have we said it - cometh the hour, cometh the man! Lionel Messi produced a sensational show for Argentina on Tuesday October 10 to take La Albiceleste to the FIFA World Cup 2018 finals in Russia.
The FC Barcelona magician scored a hat-trick to give his national team a 3-1 victory over Ecuador in a qualifier match in Quito.
Full TEXT: This is what Messi said in the post-match press conference.
Argentina was facing a shock omission from the football World Cup for the first time since 1970, but Messi weaved his magic just when the team needed the most.
"Today Argentina took a great step forward," coach Jorge Sampaoli said after the match.
"I hope that with the time to prepare that we'll have, we can be competitive (in Russia) like we were today," he added.
Messi had not been at his best in Argentina's stuttering campaign and failed to score in their previous three drawn qualifiers, which had left them in sixth place and out of the qualifying berths for Russia heading into Tuesday's game.
Argentina's qualification, meanwhile, meant heartbreak for Chile, who have missed the qualification for the FIFA World Cup next year. They lost 0-3 against group leaders Brazil on Tuesday.
Heartbreaking news for Arsenal fans as well as they cannot watch their star player Alexis Sanchez in action in Russia.
South American World Cup qualifiers table: Final tally
| Ranking | Team | Points | Goal difference | |
| 1 | Brazil | 41 | 30 | Qualified for World Cup |
| 2 | Uruguay | 31 | 12 | Qualified for World Cup |
| 3 | Argentina | 28 | 3 | Qualified for World Cup |
| 4 | Colombia | 27 | 2 | Qualified for World Cup |
| 5 | Peru | 26 | 1 | Move to inter-confed playoffs |
| 6 | Chile | 26 | -1 | Eliminated |
| 7 | Paraguay | 24 | -6 | Eliminated |
Goals from Messi against Ecuador
(with inputs from Reuters)
