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Argentina beat Nigeria 2-1 in the final World Cup Group D game in what was a tense encounter at the St Petersburg Stadium on Tuesday night. The result sees them qualify for the knockout stages in second place in the group behind Croatia.
Lionel Messi opened the scoring in the first half before Victor Moses converted a penalty in the second half to equalise. At this stage, Nigeria were going through while Argentina were going home but Marcos Rojo popped up in the box to score the winner in the 86th minute to eliminate the African side.
Here are the major talking points from the game.
#1 Contrasting formations make for an intriguing tactical battle
As soon as the lineups were announced, there must have been a collective sigh of relief when Argentina fans saw the teamsheet. Jorge Sampaoli had decided to scrap the three-man defence and had opted to go back to a back-four.
Nicolas Otamendi and Marcos Rojo started at centre-back in a 4-3-3 with Javier Mascherano, Ever Banega and Enzo Perez in midfield. Gonzalo Higuain started up front with Lionel Messi and Angel Di Maria on either side.
As a result, Argentina started on the front foot. The hard-working Di Maria was effective in putting pressure out on the left and he tracked back to press the midfield in a bid to win the ball back and initiate attacks.
Nigeria - playing a 3-5-2 - had to sit back to absorb the pressure and hit them on the counter-attack. Kelechi Iheanacho and Ahmed Musa played up top but John Obi Mikel played in a deeper role compared to the no.10 role he had adopted in the first two games.
#2 Lionel Messi is finally liberated
The change in formation worked almost immediately with Gonzalo Higuain dropping deep to attract the central defenders, allowing Messi to make the run and score a fantastic goal in the 14th minute from an equally delightful Ever Banega lob over the defence.
He stayed onside, made a perfect run, controlled the ball (as it comes in from behind him) first with his left thigh and then with his left foot before firing it home with his right foot.
Messi had finally arrived.
That wasn't all he did. Playing on the right, he was able to find pockets of space when Mercado looked to overlap on the right. He was almost perennially stationed near the half-line to keep the Nigerian wide men busy and that allowed Messi to pull strings in a deep role.
He managed to release Higuain in one sweeping move that took out all defenders and it was the brave Francis Uzoho who literally put his head on the line to make a save.
Messi was also busy cutting in to use his favoured left foot and even hit the post from a free-kick that looked destined for the back of the net.
#3 Nigeria play without a clear game plan... Until the penalty
Nigeria looked promising in the early stages of the match with a couple of forays forward when they sniffed a chance. Iheanacho and Musa always looked to get forward while Oghenekaro Etebo even managed to get a couple of shots off.
But Messi's goal seemed to deflate them and they suddenly looked nervy in possession. Even when Javier Mascherano lost the ball in a deep position, they failed to take advantage, hanging on to the ball for too long and allowing the Argentine midfielder to make the tackle and make up for his error.
As wing-backs, Victor Moses and Brian Idowu failed to create chances from out wide and were pegged back a lot by Argentina. Since Argentina played a three-man midfield, Mikel was also unable to stamp his authority. It resulted in long balls to the Nigerian forwards who were easily dealt with since the South American side were sitting back and not playing a high line.
But they were lucky to win a penalty - all thanks to Mascherano's stupidity in the box. Victor Moses did not even need a run-up to convert the spot-kick to make it 1-1.
Once they realised a draw was good enough, Nigeria sat back and frustrated Argentina by closing all the gaps in passing channels and starving the likes of Di Maria and Higuain of any service whatsoever.
Without any space to run into, Di Maria was effectively neutralised and he was substituted in the 72nd minute - probably a little too late - by Sampaoli.
But Nigeria couldn't hold on for 90 minutes.
#4 Ever Banega's creativity shows what Argentina missed
One look at the Argentina squad and two things are apparent in La Albiceleste's attack. They are top-heavy and Ever Banega was their best midfielder. And yet, he did not start the first two games.
This time, Banega started the game and he was dominating the game in midfield. The Nigerians had no answer to his movement and passing and he threatened to open them up time and again.
His assist for Messi's goal was a pinpoint lob over the defence and the first half ended with him being the most creative player on the pitch with two key passes.
Even in the second half when Argentina struggled to break down a stubborn Nigeria (who were happy with a draw at that point), it was Banega who looked to make things happen - constantly looking to find Messi or other players in space on either side of the pitch.
Argentina did not register many shots in the second half but Banega's industry helped them wear Nigeria down until they finally conceded a goal.
#5 Marcos Rojo becomes Argentina's unlikely hero
At 1-1, Nigeria had two good chances to go ahead when Odion Ighalo found himself in the box. Both chances went abegging with Armani saving a one-on-one chance to keep Argentina in the game.
This came back to bite the African side when Argentina took the lead late in the game - in the 86th minute. It wasn't Higuain, it wasn't Sergio Aguero, heck it wasn't even Messi.
Gabriel Mercado's cross from the right flank was turned in by centre-back Marcos Rojo. The Manchester United had managed to sneak into the box without the Nigerian defence noticing his movement.
By the time Moses realised a man was free in the box it was too late as Rojo took his shot on the volley and converted from close range to make it 2-1. Right at the death, Argentina had leapfrogged Nigeria and Iceland to move up to second in the group.
As the full-time whistle blew, Argentina had their miracle and had qualified for the knockout stages of the World Cup.
In the next round, Croatia now play Denmark while Argentina will face France!
