This is a great World Cup and it has a great soundtrack. To the tune of Bad Moon Rising, Nigeria and Argentina scored five more goals when they did not really need to score any. There were two each for Ahmed Musa and for Lionel Messi, the latter becoming the tournament’s joint top scorer alongside Brazil’s Neymar. Both teams progressed and these finals will be a better place for their presence. They could have played out a draw, ambled their way to a flat and mutually beneficial conclusion, but instead there were two goals after just three minutes. Three more were to follow.
There was only one disappointment: that Alejandro Sabella chose to replace Messi with half an hour remaining. It made sense when there are bigger moments ahead but some of the thrill had gone. It was already 3-2 and there would be no more goals. Argentina’s fans packed this stadium and the streets outside. More than 100,000 of them travelled to Porto Alegre and they sang the Creedence Clearwater Revival classic with their own lyrics. “You’ll see Messi bring the cup back to us,” it runs.
Only at the end did the Brazilians in this area respond with a chant of “pentachampion!”, but their neighbours are starting to believe that maybe Messi really can bring the cup back, even if doubts will still surround those who are, in Ángel Di María’s words, there to “support” him. Defensively, they were not convincing and Sergio Agüero departed early with what Sabella said was a muscular problem that would be assessed on Thursday, although Ezequiel Lavezzi played well in his absence.
“Messi is one hell of a player,” Stephen Keshi, the Nigeria manager, said. “You can’t take it away from him. He is from Jupiter. He is different.”
Sabella had admitted that his team were, naturally enough, dependent on Messi after two wonderful goals secured two victories for a team that had performed poorly. On Tuesday Messi turned 27. When he came out to warm up here, Argentina’s supporters sang Happy Birthday To You. When he was replaced, they chanted his name like a mantra, in praise. Once again, he had led them. He now has 24 goals in his last 23 games for his country.
Even Vincent Enyeama, the goalkeeper who had denied Messi time and again in South Africa four years ago, could not stop him – and yet he stopped a lot here, even as luck appeared to have deserted him from the very start.
Only two minutes had gone when Argentina took the lead. Javier Mascherano’s clever pass found Di María, whose shot, hard and low towards the near post, was saved by Enyeama. But suddenly, in a fortunate flash, the ball was in the net. The ball came off the keeper’s hands, off the post, off the keeper’s head, off the post again, and out … to where Messi was racing forward to smash it back in again.
If Nigeria were shocked, qualification for the next round momentarily seeming vulnerable, they reacted so quickly that there was barely time for the message to reach Iran. Michael Babatunde, who later suffered a suspected broken hand, sent Musa away on the left to cut inside and score a lovely equaliser, curling the ball beyond Sergio Romero into the far corner. One hundred metres and one minute and 20 seconds separated the two goals.
There had been no time to detect a pattern yet and it was as if the game restarted, only with the score at 1-1 instead of 0-0. When it did, there were signs of a better Argentina. Di María’s shot was pushed away by Enyeama, then Messi neatly found a little space to play in Gonzalo Higuaín, who hit the side-netting. Enyeama’s save count was rising; for his team, containment was sufficient and news of Bosnia’s goal made their position still safer. Even in defeat they would progress.
Defeat came. Leo Messi saw one free kick pushed away from the top corner but when he got the chance to do it again two minutes later, he could not be stopped. It was softer this time, curling away into the corner. Enyeama ran towards the ball but stopped en route. It was already in the net. Messi was on four. The only other goal Argentina had scored had been scored for them by Bosnia’s Sead Kolasinac.
Eventually, that statistic was broken. Musa dashed through early in the second half to make it 2-2, a moment’s clever pause sufficient for him to send Romero to the left while his shot went to the right. And then Argentina were back in the lead again, and this time Messi was not involved. Enyeama saved Di María’s shot and from the corner Ezequiel Garay leapt. The ball dropped just beyond his head, on to the thigh of Marcos Rojo and into the net. Messi made way soon after; his work here was done.
Still the chances came. Enyeama saved from Di María and from Lavezzi, the latter after a clever free-kick, then caught Mascherano’s long-range effort. Garay headed over. And at the other end Efe Ambrose struck a shot into the side-netting. Before that, Musa had seen one shot go over and another blocked by Pablo Zabaleta as he sought a hat-trick. He, like Messi, would have to settle for two.
And as the final minutes ticked away, the noise increased, the song rang round and a bad moon rose once more.
There was only one disappointment: that Alejandro Sabella chose to replace Messi with half an hour remaining. It made sense when there are bigger moments ahead but some of the thrill had gone. It was already 3-2 and there would be no more goals. Argentina’s fans packed this stadium and the streets outside. More than 100,000 of them travelled to Porto Alegre and they sang the Creedence Clearwater Revival classic with their own lyrics. “You’ll see Messi bring the cup back to us,” it runs.
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| Lionel Messi hits double in Argentina win but Nigeria go through too |
“Messi is one hell of a player,” Stephen Keshi, the Nigeria manager, said. “You can’t take it away from him. He is from Jupiter. He is different.”
Sabella had admitted that his team were, naturally enough, dependent on Messi after two wonderful goals secured two victories for a team that had performed poorly. On Tuesday Messi turned 27. When he came out to warm up here, Argentina’s supporters sang Happy Birthday To You. When he was replaced, they chanted his name like a mantra, in praise. Once again, he had led them. He now has 24 goals in his last 23 games for his country.
Even Vincent Enyeama, the goalkeeper who had denied Messi time and again in South Africa four years ago, could not stop him – and yet he stopped a lot here, even as luck appeared to have deserted him from the very start.
Only two minutes had gone when Argentina took the lead. Javier Mascherano’s clever pass found Di María, whose shot, hard and low towards the near post, was saved by Enyeama. But suddenly, in a fortunate flash, the ball was in the net. The ball came off the keeper’s hands, off the post, off the keeper’s head, off the post again, and out … to where Messi was racing forward to smash it back in again.
If Nigeria were shocked, qualification for the next round momentarily seeming vulnerable, they reacted so quickly that there was barely time for the message to reach Iran. Michael Babatunde, who later suffered a suspected broken hand, sent Musa away on the left to cut inside and score a lovely equaliser, curling the ball beyond Sergio Romero into the far corner. One hundred metres and one minute and 20 seconds separated the two goals.
There had been no time to detect a pattern yet and it was as if the game restarted, only with the score at 1-1 instead of 0-0. When it did, there were signs of a better Argentina. Di María’s shot was pushed away by Enyeama, then Messi neatly found a little space to play in Gonzalo Higuaín, who hit the side-netting. Enyeama’s save count was rising; for his team, containment was sufficient and news of Bosnia’s goal made their position still safer. Even in defeat they would progress.
Defeat came. Leo Messi saw one free kick pushed away from the top corner but when he got the chance to do it again two minutes later, he could not be stopped. It was softer this time, curling away into the corner. Enyeama ran towards the ball but stopped en route. It was already in the net. Messi was on four. The only other goal Argentina had scored had been scored for them by Bosnia’s Sead Kolasinac.
Eventually, that statistic was broken. Musa dashed through early in the second half to make it 2-2, a moment’s clever pause sufficient for him to send Romero to the left while his shot went to the right. And then Argentina were back in the lead again, and this time Messi was not involved. Enyeama saved Di María’s shot and from the corner Ezequiel Garay leapt. The ball dropped just beyond his head, on to the thigh of Marcos Rojo and into the net. Messi made way soon after; his work here was done.
Still the chances came. Enyeama saved from Di María and from Lavezzi, the latter after a clever free-kick, then caught Mascherano’s long-range effort. Garay headed over. And at the other end Efe Ambrose struck a shot into the side-netting. Before that, Musa had seen one shot go over and another blocked by Pablo Zabaleta as he sought a hat-trick. He, like Messi, would have to settle for two.
And as the final minutes ticked away, the noise increased, the song rang round and a bad moon rose once more.
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