YOU’RE MY HERO
No, not Messi ... it’s United’s Rojo who rescues Argentina
THE ball, delightful from Ever Banega, arrived over his shoulder, on the run. Lionel Messi watched it onto his left thigh, killed it there, let it drop to his left boot, took a perfect, controlling touch and switched it right. Kenneth Omeruo, whose job it was to in some way harness the wind at that point, knew he was in trouble. In these moments, it is as if Messi has a way of rendering opponents powerless. He shot across goalkeeper Francis Uzoho and the ball moved obediently into the far corner of Nigeria’s net without further instruction. A gem of a goal from a gem of a player. So that’s what you would have been missing. That’s what would have disappeared from this World Cup had Argentina lost last night. Sunshine. Magic. Wonder. Ultimately, it was a fabulous volley from Manchester United’s Marcos Rojo that propelled Argentina into the final 16, but this was about him. This was about our desire for one player to stay. Save Messi. That is what the neutrals
desired. Argentina — well, they have to take their chances with the other mortals. This is a team with an average age above 30 and some significant frailties. With France up next it may only delay their departure by days, not weeks, but for now, they and Messi remain.
The world will watch again on Saturday, to see if one man can inspire a nation once more. St Petersburg’s stadium was overwhelmed by Argentina’s travelling support but their joy was spread wide.
It would take a heart of stone not to smile at this. Messi endures. This might have been his last World Cup appearance, without Rojo’s goal.
There would have been a reckoning in Argentina, with speculation Messi was going to be among several senior players to retire from international football.
Yet had this goal, this performance, been his farewell, it was one that encapsulated why this prize has remained so elusive throughout his career.
In the end, it is too much for one man to drag Argentina out of their malaise. This was overwhelming, even for him.
A Victor Moses penalty had taken Nigeria to second in the group and had Cuneyt Cakir, the referee, been consistent with the call given against Portugal on Monday night, Argentina would have been out.
Rojo headed the ball onto his arm, much as Cedric had done 24 hours earlier against Iran, but after consulting the VAR, Cakir ruled no penalty.
It was the right call — Rojo couldn’t get out of the way and there was no intention to handle — but not a harmonious one.
Argentina had started so well but as the competition ebbed away from them, grew increasingly desperate and haphazard. They were on the brink, no doubt of that. And then salvation.
Cristian Pavon crossed from the right and Rojo simply met it with all he had. He could have taken a touch, could have finessed. He didn’t. He seized the moment, seized a place in the second round for Argentina. There were four minutes of normal time remaining. As cameras zoomed in on the crowd, the players, at the end, everybody seemed to be in tears. Angel Di Maria was sobbing. And this was only the group stage.
Argentina are ordinary defensively and Javier Mascherano’s legs have gone, but in attack they can be sublime.
The introduction, in particular, of Sevilla’s midfielder Banega changed this team and Argentina should have been done by half time.
As well as Messi’s goal, the little genius hit a post and played an exquisite ball through for Gonzalo Higuain that should have amounted to more. Di Maria was also clear until cynically felled by Leon Balogun and only the presence of goalkeeper Uzoho stopped that sequence ending with a red card.
Argentina’s World Cup has been chaotic even by their standards.
It was said that the team for this last roll of the dice in Group D had been selected by the players — although some players are more equal than others, one imagines — but they did a decent job.
Initially, this appeared a more balanced, secure Argentina side, starting in goal where Willy Caballero was jettisoned for Franco Armani, a 31-year-old from River Plate, on his international debut.
His kicking was wayward but no more so than that of Cabellero, who had gifted Croatia their first goal in a traumatic 3-0 defeat. That has been Argentina’s problem at this tournament. Setbacks have had a debilitating effect.
Messi missed a penalty against Iceland and it has taken him more than a week to shrug it off. Cabellero was poor for Croatia’s first goal, then ineffectual for another two.
Big players have shirked responsibility at important times, gone quiet, gone to sleep.
It took the very real possibility that their World Cup would be over at the group stage for the real Argentina to show and they could have been three goals up by half time.
In the 28th minute, a perfectlyweighted pass by Messi found Higuain who outstripped his marker but was thwarted by teenager Uzoho in goal — the young man bravely off his line, saving at his feet and catching a painful blow, knee to head, in the process.
In the 32nd minute, a long ball from the back set Di Maria away until Balogun gave up chasing and took up tripping instead.
Had Uzoho not been at home he might have gone, instead referee Cakir produced only a yellow card and from the resulting free kick Messi flighted the ball over the wall and Uzoho got the merest touch to push it onto the far post.
Then Mascherano — past his best — had several goes at Balogun as a corner came in, before dragging him to the floor. Cakir pointed to the spot and replays showed the right call had been made. Victor Moses stepped up, took two paces and deftly sent Armani the wrong way. At that point, Messi was on his way home. He has a lot to thank Rojo for, but so do we. GARETH SOUTHGATE is ready to give Harry Kane the chance to soar ahead in the race for the Golden Boot against Belgium tomorrow night.
The England manager is set to make changes from the team who
beat Panama 6-1 and admitted he would leave out Kane if he felt it would benefit the team ahead of next week’s last-16 clash. However, Southgate is mindful of his prolific striker’s ambition to finish as the World Cup’s top goalscorer and is ready to play the Tottenham striker in Kaliningrad.
The manager recognises Kane’s goalscoring prowess offers England the best chance to win the game, which will decide who finishes top of the group.
Kane leads the scoring charts with five, ahead of Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo and Belgium Romelu Lukaku, both on four. But with Portugal having already played all three of their group games and Lukaku set to miss tomorrow’s clash with an ankle injury, Kane has a chance to extend his lead.
His Spurs team-mate Danny Rose is also set to play, having so far been used for just 20 minutes against Panama. The fact Kyle Walker and Ruben Loftus-Cheek have picked up yellow cards and risk suspension will also be considered by Southgate.
Meanwhile, Rose is set for a change of heart as he prepares to fly his family out to the World Cup. The defender had forbidden his loved ones from coming to Russia because he expected racism. But the left back admitted he had been pleasantly surprised by the atmosphere. ‘Yes, if I manage to get in the team at some point, I may change my mind,’ he said. ‘It’s been really quiet. I haven’t had much time to go out into St Petersburg yet, but from what everyone says, it’s beautiful.’