WE’VE KISSED AND MADE UP, SAYS SAMPAOLI

ArgentInA manager Jorge Sampaoli last night attempted to patch up his relationship with Lionel Messi, thanking the captain and match-winner for hugging him after the side squeaked into the World Cup’s last 16.

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, the coach gave a glowing tribute to Messi.

‘You know when Leo came and hugged me, I felt very proud and happy because he knows I am passionate, very passionate every single day,’ Sampaoli said. ‘I’ve had the chance to travel with him, share many moments with him. He knows we had this common dream in coming to russia.

‘the most important thing about Leo is his human side. He is a person who laughs, who cries. I’ve seen him happy and sad in crisis times like today. People say he doesn’t enjoy playing for Argentina but I don’t agree. He loves paying for Argentina and that makes him even bigger.’

Messi finally revealed glimpses of his best at this tournament, scoring a sublime opening goal. He could not maintain his early influence, though, and a nigeria equaliser seemed to be sending Argentina out of the tournament. But then came Marcos rojo’s late winner and Messi was named man of the match.

Messi said the players ‘ had suffered a lot because it was a difficult situation this week. We didn’t think we were going to suffer as much as we have’.

the toll that the scrutiny attached to a life at the top of the game can take was revealed in the stands in the bizarre behaviour of another legendary Argentina no 10, Diego Maradona (above), who was the subject of a health scare.

the 57-year-old was seen being helped from his seat in the stadium before collapsing into a chair after the game. He was attended to by russian paramedics but was said to have walked out of the ground. earlier, his bizarre behaviour had included dancing with a nigerian woman and raising a middle finger after the winning goal.