SUPER MOJO!
Argentina reach last 16 thanks to Rojo rocket
Marcos rojo’s stunning strike kept argentina in the World cup last night after a dramatic win over Nigeria — and nobody was happier than Lionel Messi.
With the score 1-1 and argentina heading out, Manchester United’s rojo fired an 86th-minute volley to set up a last-16 clash with France on saturday.
Messi had scored argentina’s opener but a penalty by chelsea’s Victor Moses meant Nigeria were going through — until rojo’s brilliant intervention.
The ball, delightful from ever Banega, arrived over his shoulder, on the run. Lionel Messi watched it on to 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 is what you would have been missing. That is what would have disappeared from this World Cup had Argentina failed to win last night. Sunshine. Magic. Wonder.
Ultimately, it was a fabulous volley from Manchester United’s Marcos Rojo that propelled Argentina into the round of 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.
‘We already knew we were going to win, said Messi. ‘We were confident that God would help us, that it would all turn out well. We did not expect the complication of the draw, of suffering so much. But what is important is that we went through.’
Argentina manager Jorge Sampaoli lavished praise on Messi following a deeply difficult week in which Argentina’s players had wrested control of the team, restored the formation Sampaoli had ripped up and staged their own team-talk in the tunnel after he had left for the bench.
‘People say he doesn’t enjoy playing for Argentina but I don’t agree,’ Sampaoli said. ‘he loves paying for Argentina and that makes him even bigger.’
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 after this, with speculation Messi was going to be among several senior players in an ageing team 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 on to his arm, much as Cedric Soares had done 24 hours earlier against Iran, but after consulting VAR, Cakir ruled no penalty.
It was the right call — Rojo could not get out of the way and there was no intention to handle — but not a harmonious one. The same could have been said of Cedric, too; yet that was given.
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 did not. he seized the moment, seized the day, 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. Argentina had been through an emotional wringer; and this was only the group stage.
The introduction, in particular, of Sevilla’s midfielder Banega changed this team and Argentina should have been won by half-time.
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 gifted Croatia their first goal in a traumatic 3-0 defeat and then failed to recover.
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, and then ineffectual for another two.
It took this, the very real possibility that their World Cup would be over at the group stage, for the real Argentina to show itself.
Argentina could have been three goals up by half-time had they
taken their chances and caught the breaks. In the 28th minute, a perfectly-weighted through pass by Messi found Gonzalo Higuain, who outstripped his marker but was thwarted by teenager Uzoho in goal, the young man bravely off his line, saving at his feet.
In the 32nd minute, a long ball from the back set Di Maria away until Leon 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.
However, Javier Mascherano had several goes at Balogun as a corner came in, before dragging him to the floor. cakir pointed to the spot.
Moses stepped up, took two paces and hit a gentle one, only slightly to the right, deftly sending 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.
NIGERIA (3-5-2): Uzoho 7; Balogun 7, Ekong 7, Omeruo 6.5 (Iwobi 90min); Moses 7, Ndidi 7, Mikel 7, Etebo 6.5, B Idowu 6.5; Iheanacho 5 (Ighalo 46, 6), Musa 7 (Nwanko 90). Scorer: Moses pen 51. Booked: Balogun, Mikel. Manager: Gernot Rohr 6.5. ARGENTINA (4-3-3): Armani 6.5; Mercado 6, Otamendi 7, Rojo 7, Tagliafico 6 (Aguero 80); Perez 5 (Pavlon 61, 7), Mascherano 4.5, Banega 8; Di Maria 5.5 (Meza 72, 5), Messi 7.5, Higuain 6. Scorers: Messi 14, Rojo 86. Booked: Mascherano, Banega, Messi. Manager: Jorge Sampaoli 6. Referee: Cuneyt Cakir (Turkey) 7. Attendance: 64,468.