After Maradona resigned, Batista served as the permanent head coach of Argentina national football team and led the team to play three games, which were 1-0 against Ireland, 4-1 against Spain, 0-1 defeat by Japan respectively. Afterwards, he officially became the head coach of Argentina national football team. The 1-0 victory over Brazil was the first game that Batista led as the formal head coach of Argentina national football team. Messi's goal in stoppage time helped Argentina beat Brazil 1-0. After the game, Batista praised and thanked Messi: "I am very happy that we have the best player in the world. Messi gave everything he had to the national team without reservation and proved himself to be the best player in the last few minutes. He will keep performing until the end of the game." The performance of Batista after taking office was significantly better than that of Maradona, but he refused to compare himself with the "King of Football". "I don't want to make comparisons. We are starting a new phase. There are excellent players here, and we strive for outstanding achievements instead of looking back at previous events," said Batista. "He is a very important player in the team. The team always relies on him in the game. His goal proved his importance on the field and ultimately decided the outcome of the game," Batista praised Messi. This game was the first time since 2005 that Argentina had defeated Brazil in an international A-level match, and the significance of the victory was self-evident for Argentina. Batista said after the game: "The game was very important because defeating Brazil doesn't happen every day. The victory was great, it gave us a lot of confidence. Argentina played well at times because it was hard to bring the team together, and the players gradually found the rhythm you wanted to see." Batista also said that veteran players like Zanetti and Heinze were still an important part of the team. "Although there is a generational shift, the veterans will not be excluded from the national team. They will still help us win the championship of the 2014 World Cup. We need to insert older players among young players, they have rich experience." "This victory made me temporarily forget our goal of winning the 2014 World Cup. The meaning beyond the victory is equally important," Batista said after the game, "It makes me feel comfortable, I am very happy because I want to beat Brazil as much as I want to beat any opponent. Messi showed his determination, we have the best players and achieved victory through them."