Late goal saves Argentina
Lionel Messi and Argentina finally got things going at theWorld Cup.
Messi scored an exquisite 14th- minute goal to give the two- time champions the lead in a must- win game against Nigeria, but it wasn’t until Marcos Rojo’s 86th- minute strike that Argentina was assured of a place in the round of 16 with a 2- 1 victory Tuesday in St. Petersburg, Russia.
VictorMoses scored from the penalty spot in the 51st minute for Nigeria, putting Argentina in danger of being eliminated without winning a match in Russia. It would have been the first time since 1934 that Argentina would have finished the World Cup without a victory.
It took an unlikely goal by Rojo— a center back — to save Argentina with a cushioned volley into the corner. Messi’s goal was his 65th for Argentina. “I knew that God is with us,” Messi said, “and he wouldn’t let us get eliminated.”
The win gave the Argentines second place in Group D and allowed the soccer- mad nation to forget about the 3- 0 loss to Croatia last week that sparked days of soul- searching within the squad and back home.
Argentina will play France in the round of 16 on Saturday in Kazan, keeping alive Messi’s quest for a first world title. He might have retired from international soccer for a second time — and for good this time — if it wasn’t for Rojo’s goal. Before Rojo’s goal, Nigeria had been only a few minutes from qualifying for the round of 16 for the fourth time.
Croatia 2, Iceland 1
Ivan Perisic capitalized on a defensive error to score a 90th- minute winner in RostovonDon to give Croatia its third win and first place in Group D. Milan Badelj, moments after hitting the bar, scored the opening goal in the 53rd minute.
Iceland, which got a goal from Gylfi Sigurdsson in the 76th minute, is the smallest nation by population ( 350,000) ever to qualify for theWorld Cup.
France 0, Denmark 0
Neither team needed a win to advance and the teams played like it in Moscow. The scoreless draw, the first in this World Cup, gave France first place in Group C.
Peru 2, Australia 0
Andre Carrillo’s 18th- minute goal — a half- volley from inside the area— was Peru’s first in aWorld Cup since its last appearance 36 years ago. Peru hadn’t won a World Cup match since defeating Iran in 1978.