'Messi is the water in the desert'

Argentina coach Alejandro Sabella lavished praise on captain and striker Lionel Messi after their 1-0 victory over Belgium in the quarter-finals.

"Messi had a very good game. He's not only useful for scoring, but also for guarding possession and distracting defenders. Each of his movements is intelligent," Sabella said.

"He puts the opposition in danger as soon as he has the ball or makes a move. It's not just his goals that please me. He never loses the ball and he creates lots of space.

"He's the water in the desert. He finds solutions when we think there aren't any."