<p>Lionel Messi is like water in the desert, Argentina coach Alejandro Sabella said after his team beat Belgium 1-0 to reach the World Cup semifinals on Saturday.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Four-times World Player of the Year Messi failed to score and even squandered a clear scoring chance in stoppage time as the South Americans did the bare minimum to reach the last four for the first time since 1990.<br /><br />But his mere presence on the field appeared to inhibit Belgium who were strangely cautious even when forced to chase the game after Gonzalo Higuain's early goal.<br /><br />"I think Messi played really well, it's not just about scoring goals, it's about having possession of the ball, attracting three opponents and then giving the ball to a team-mate in an advantageous position," Sabella told reporters.<br /><br />"Each time he gets the ball, it represents hope for all of us and a threatening situation for our opponents. Regardless of whether he scores goals or not, his influence is decisive.<br /><br />"A game has many aspects, apart from goals," he added. "When you have a player such as Messi, who never, or almost never, loses the ball, it's water in the desert and not just when he scores.<br /><br />"In the other game (against Switzerland), he gave a great pass to Angel Di Maria, and today, sometimes the ground was dry, and he gave us air each time he got the ball."</p>
<p>Lionel Messi is like water in the desert, Argentina coach Alejandro Sabella said after his team beat Belgium 1-0 to reach the World Cup semifinals on Saturday.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Four-times World Player of the Year Messi failed to score and even squandered a clear scoring chance in stoppage time as the South Americans did the bare minimum to reach the last four for the first time since 1990.<br /><br />But his mere presence on the field appeared to inhibit Belgium who were strangely cautious even when forced to chase the game after Gonzalo Higuain's early goal.<br /><br />"I think Messi played really well, it's not just about scoring goals, it's about having possession of the ball, attracting three opponents and then giving the ball to a team-mate in an advantageous position," Sabella told reporters.<br /><br />"Each time he gets the ball, it represents hope for all of us and a threatening situation for our opponents. Regardless of whether he scores goals or not, his influence is decisive.<br /><br />"A game has many aspects, apart from goals," he added. "When you have a player such as Messi, who never, or almost never, loses the ball, it's water in the desert and not just when he scores.<br /><br />"In the other game (against Switzerland), he gave a great pass to Angel Di Maria, and today, sometimes the ground was dry, and he gave us air each time he got the ball."</p>