Sampaoli praises Messi for proving loyalty to country

Lionel Messi’s outstanding performance to save Argentina’s World Cup campaign was proof of his commitment to the country, Jorge Sampaoli, the team’s manager, said after a week of turmoil in the camp.

“He needs the support from his team-mates, only then will he be able to play at his best,” Sampaoli said. “His human side is amazing. He is a person who feels, who cries, who suffers, who’s happy when Argentina win.

“I’ve seen him sad and I’ve seen him happy, like he was today. People have said he doesn’t enjoy playing for Argentina. That’s not true and you saw it today.”

Messi scored Argentina’s opening goal against Nigeria, who were eliminated, to earn a second-round tie with France. Sampaoli, meanwhile, has faced speculation about senior players taking over control of the team and critical comments from Argentina legends.

“The players played with their heart, they are true rebels,” he said. “They are convinced they are excellent players and they have to show they are during this World Cup. The most important thing this evening was that the players were really brave – and that made the victory possible.

Messi, who remarked: “I knew God is with us and he was not going to leave us out,” also told reporters: “We’ve suffered a lot because it was a difficult situation. There was a lot at stake and, of course, it was a huge relief for all of us. It was a big match because of the results before and many of the things that have been said. We didn’t think we’d suffer as much as we have.

“We had more possession, we tried to create opportunities, even after the first goal, and we thought the second half would be similar. However, they were able to score with a penalty and we got nervous. We had the impression time was going by faster. That’s the reason we started attacking and pressing more.”

Looking ahead to the France match, Messi said: “We’ve watched every single France game. They have very good individual players. They have very fast players who can really make a difference. And I have team-mates [at Barcelona] I know very well in the front and back line [Samuel Umtiti and Ousmane Dembele]. I know what we’ll have to do.”

Nigeria claimed that they should have been awared a penalty when Marcos Rojo appeared to handle the ball in his own penalty area.

“I don’t understand how that wasn’t a penalty,” said Nigeria captain John Obi Mikel. “For me, it was a clear handball.”