MARCOS ROJO’S STUNNING finish four minutes from time kept Lionel Messi and Argentina’s World Cup hopes alive to see off Nigeria 2-1 on Tuesday and set up a last 16 meeting with France.
Messi’s first goal of the tournament got the two-time winners off to a perfect start in Saint Petersburg, but Victor Moses’s 51st minute penalty had Jorge Sampaoli’s men headed for a humiliating group stage exit until Rojo’s late intervention.
The Manchester United defender, who had escaped conceding a second Nigerian penalty moments earlier after a controversial VAR review, thundered home Gabriel Mercado’s cross to send the under-fire Sampaoli running down the sidelines amid wild scenes of celebration.
Messi missed a penalty in a 1-1 draw with Iceland and was largely bypassed in a 3-0 thrashing by Croatia that saw calls for Sampaoli to be sacked before their final group game.
However, Argentina avoided the abyss by the skin of their teeth to fight another day against the highly-fancied French in Kazan on Saturday.
Sampaoli made five changes from the Croatia game, with veterans of the Albiceleste’s run to the final four years ago Gonzalo Higuain and Angel di Maria returning, but it was the recall of Ever Banega in midfield that provided the launchpad for Messi.
The Sevilla playmaker was restored to bring some order to an Argentine midfield overrun by Croatia’s Ivan Rakitic and Luka Modric and proved his worth inside 15 minutes.
Nigeria 0-1 Argentina - Did you ever doubt him? Lionel Messi puts Argentina in front with a wonderful goal. #rtesoccer #WorldCup #NGA #ARG pic.twitter.com/rrXjOLTHt2
— RTÉ Soccer (@RTEsoccer) June 26, 2018
Banega’s brilliant pass over the top of the Nigerian defence picked out Messi’s run perfectly and, after cushioning the ball on his thigh, the five-time world player of the year erased the frustrations of his World Cup so far with an arrowed right-foot finish into the far corner.
Modric claimed Croatia “cut off Messi” in Nizhny Novgorod five nights ago, but he was back to close to his Barcelona best at the heart of all Argentina’s best moves in a positive first 45 minutes.
Nigeria 1-1 Argentina - Victor Moses levels from the penalty spot for Nigeria #rtesoccer #worldcup #NGA #ARG pic.twitter.com/inqg6hQt2n
— RTÉ Soccer (@RTEsoccer) June 26, 2018
Higuain just couldn’t flick the ball beyond the onrushing Francis Uzoho from a defence splitting pass before Uzoho then tipped a Messi free-kick onto the post.
Argentina escaped just before the break when no penalty was given for Rojo’s high challenge on Kelechi Iheanacho.
Nigeria felt that injustice was rectified just five minutes after the break, though, when this time Turkish referee Cuneyt Cakir did point to the spot when Javier Mascherano tangled with Oghenekaro Etebo at a corner.
Moses confidently stepped up to send Franco Armani the wrong way on his international debut and Argentina back to square one.
Nigeria 1-2 Argentina - Marcus Rojo put Argentina back in front with a wonderful volley #rtesoccer #WorldCup #NGA #ISL pic.twitter.com/oQif5vaSeO
— RTÉ Soccer (@RTEsoccer) June 26, 2018
Messi produced a magical performance in Argentina’s final qualifier with a hat-trick in Ecuador just to get his country to Russia.
But he couldn’t recreate those heroics as Nigerian defenders swarmed around him everytime he was hopefully shovelled the ball by Argentine team-mates.
There was further VAR controversy when Nigeria were denied a second penalty when Rojo headed onto his own arm before substitute Odion Ighalo fired wide.
Ighalo missed another glorious chance when he shot too close to Armani and Nigeria were made to pay for their profligacy from the most unlikely source.
Sergio Aguero had been thrown on from the bench to join Messi and Higuain in attack, but it was Rojo who produced a striker’s finish on his weaker right foot to spark delirious scenes of celebration among the tens of thousands of Argentines in the stands.
Chief among them was legendary 1986 World Cup winning captain Diego Maradona who reacted by raising the middle finger of both hands in just his latest controversial moment as a spectator in Russia.
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Maradonnas some dose in fairness.
@White Rabbit: Who was he showing the fingers to? The man is a walking pantomime.
@White Rabbit: I wonder will he survive the night, some amount of coke he’s on
@White Rabbit: he’s off his absolute rocker!
@Lorcán Coyle: The internet tells me it was Nigerian fans below him who were giving him abuse.
@James O’Donovan: I’d say he was goaded alright but it looked like he was banjoed on coke. He looks like a massive heart attack waiting to happen.
@Frank Cauldhame: If they went out he would have gone home with them in a coffin. He will flip when they get knocked out.
@Frank Cauldhame: he’s an absolute legend. The handball, the brilliance, the drug cheating, breaking the camera in USA 94, now this. He is box office and owns the World Cup.
@Frank Cauldhame: Jaysus, I might have jinxed him. Apparently paramedics had to be called for him after the game.
Maradona is single handily keeping Columbias ecomany going
@Philip Morgan: Colombia
What a world cup its been
Messi with that last ditch tackle at the end.
@Gone Fishing: it was a good tackle to knock the ball out of play in the Nigeria half. But last ditch, come on.
Rojo will not hit a ball sweeter like that again!! Maradona Loves the attention on him. How many bags did he have tonight. Hopefully the argies beat France now
@Yorkie1892: say it was just one bag he’d be in the best stuff
@Andrew Reilly: clearly showed anyway
It will be snowing in Moscow now tonight, imagine the after party with Diego
Gutted only silver lining was that it be a Utd player who will get the headlines what a finish by Rojo
King rojo
Maradonna is a disgrace…
@Dead Ball Browne: Lighten up will you everything doesent have to be so serious, never change Diego
@Eric Djemba-Djemba: Diego=God
@mar: There’s no such thing as Diego.
Nigeria have just awoken the sleeping giant, MESSI
@Shawn Rahoon: Possibly the only goal he will score. Sh!te in the big games Messi.
@The Viking: You’re new to football I see.
@Fracko: No idea what Ronaldo has to do with it, it’s not even club football
@Fracko: Ronaldo has scored 4 champions league final goals, not too shabby
@Fracko: while injured
@Dave O Keeffe: what injury excuse did he make now haven’t heard it before
@Fracko: Messi regularly doesn’t do it for Argentina that has nothing to do with Ronaldo. So why not take a day off
@David Carino: doesn’t he ?
@David Carino: top goalscorer of all time and got them to 3 finals (all lost on pens or ET) . What current footballer has done significantly more?
@Ruairi Doyle: he was out injured for weeks before it.
@Fracko: sure he didn’t need too
Why can’t anyone here spell Maradona?
@Dave Cremin: because he is a prima donna :-)
Maradona is gas
We now know how come there are so many Columbians at the WC
I hope Argentina are unceremoniously dumped out of the competition at the next match, nothing beautiful about the game they play.
@Eddie O’Neill: got to agree with you there. They muscled Nigeria off the ball with a series of dubious tackles that the referee ignored. Pity that Nigeria stepped off the gas. The winner became inevitable.
@Tom McHugh: If I never see that Mascherano yoke play again it will be too soon. He is experienced, sometimes talented but brings a toxicity to most of the games he plays, mental age of around 14!
Argentina really need to start waking up if there to reach the final cos right now there only scraping the barrel which is not acceptable..
Brian Kerr is clearly gunning for another shot at the Irish job- don’t know how many times he praised Nigeria for keeping their shape behind the ball.
Great win for Argentina tonight, f@ck the begrudgers. They are like Cork in a sense, a lot of lads want to see them bet but when they are playing they cant take their eyes off the screen. Hon the Rebels y Viva Argentina!
I’m new here. Nobody else think that broadcasters should be literate?
Up yours Maradonna