Angel deserved to rise

Di Maria applied a sumptuous finish to a Rodrigo de Paul delivery to lift the ball past Brazil keeper Ederson for the only goal of the game.

In the process, Di Maria scored his first Argentina goal in 13 games spanning three years, last netting for Albiceleste in the 2-4 Round-of-16 defeat against eventual champions France at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

The goal helped the 33-year-old snapped the longest scoring drought of his international career.

Di Maria once admitted that he sought out a psychologist to help him deal with the trauma of his performance in finals.

"I can't cry, I can't fall, we dreamed so much of achieving this. So many people said I shouldn't come back, I kept banging my head against the wall and today it happened," the veteran winger said after the match in Rio de Janeiro.

The winger had several setbacks due to injury. He did not play in the 2014 World Cup final due to an injury in the quarterfinals against Belgium. One year later, another muscle injury forced him out during the Copa America final against Chile. He was also unfit during the Copa America Centenario decider in 2016.

That was when Di Maria started seeing a psychiatrist. Argentina fans wanted him out of the squad, but he turned the tables on them on Saturday, despite the fact he started the tournament as a substitute.

After the game, Di Maria revealed what Lionel Messi told him after the match. "Messi told me thanks to me, I said thanks to him! He told me that it was my final, that it was the rematch for the finals that I couldn't play. It had to be today and today it was," Di Maria told reporters after the summit clash.

He added: "I am happy for my daughters, my wife, my parents, all the people who supported us and for all the crazy people who came here."

Di Maria, however, not only overcame all the trauma on Saturday with the goal but also brought immense joy for their superstar—Lionel Messi.