Blade plunged and the dream died

The singing stops, Leo Messi is stifled, and a bad moon rises for Argentina.

The Creedance Clearwater Revival-scored chant that sound tracked this World Cup will no longer be belted out with the same gusto. Argentina now know how it feels.

A team that has offered everything had no more to give, and were found wanting. Messi couldn’t continue to power the attack, Javier Mascherano couldn’t keep plugging the holes.