Argentina football team’s coach Lionel Scaloni has urged fans to remain calm following Lionel Messi’s opening goal in a crucial 2-0 win over Mexico on Saturday that kept their 2022 Qatar World Cup hope alive.

If Argentina had lost with a Group C match remaining, they would have had to say goodbye to their World Cup dreams. Despite this triumph against Mexico, capped by a great Enzo Fernández strike, they must still beat Poland on Wednesday to assure a spot in the last 16, reports Buenos Aires Times.

When asked about photos of his assistant Pablo Aimar on the verge of tears during the Argentina vs Mexico match, coach Scaloni asked for some perspective.

Read more: Saudi Arabia coach Hervé Renard sorry to disappoint mothe

“You have to have some common sense, it’s just a football match,” he said. “I received a message from my brother saying he was crying and it can’t be like that. It’s as if it were more than a football match.

“…The players must understand it’s a football match. If not, it will be like this in every match. It’s hard to make people understand that the sun will rise tomorrow, win or lose. What matters is how you do things.”

Scaloni stated that he would not be celebrating yet because the Argentina squad is still not out of the water. Even if they draw with Poland, the two-time champion might still get eliminated.

Read more: FIFA World Cup 2022: Messi leads Argentina to 2-0 win over Mexico

“People will think I’m crazy but fine, we won, we’re celebrating, it happens,” Buenos Aires Times quoted him as saying.

“…The joy doesn’t last long, you have to maintain balance,” Scaloni said.

Coach Lionel Scaloni is obviously not overjoyed following his team's much-needed 2-0 victory over Mexico on Saturday. Instead, he prefers to remain calm, at least until the next match against Poland, which is virtually a do-or-die contest for Argentina in its quest for a Round of 16 berth at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.