Nigeria vs Argentina: Can Messi and Co rebound against Super Eagles?
Argentina will stage one last desperate bid to stay afloat in the World Cup as they take on Nigeria at the Stadion Krestovskyi on Tuesday evening.
Simply put, Argentina is in big trouble. Lionel Messi was unable to inspire his side as they were held to a 1-1 draw with debutants Iceland, and the five-time Ballon d’Or winner’s failure to convert from the spot will certainly haunt him as it would have put La Albiceleste ahead. Still reeling from their surprise draw, Argentina was utter humiliated by a Croatia side who has exceeded expectations at this summer’s tournament, and now it’s win or go home as they face Nigeria.
Having fallen at the finals stage in their last three tournaments, this could be Messi’s last chance to win a title with Argentina. Of course, it takes more than one man to clinch the coveted trophy, but it will certainly frustrate him that his perennial rival, Cristiano Ronaldo has won a trophy with Portugal. No one would ever say that Portugal, with all due respect, is as strong a team as Argentina, and yet, despite their talisman suffering an injury during the final, they manage to beat heavy favorites France to win it.
Their loss to Croatia had the entire nation reeling, such that a TV station even held a moment of silence. Not that the Vatreni aren’t a solid side, but no one expected them to beat tournament heavyweights Argentina 3-0 in a game that both Messi and Sergio Aguero – two of the finest attackers on the planet – were shut down so effectively.
So dire is Argentina’s situation that even if they do beat a Super Eagles side growing in confidence, they will also need Iceland to fail to beat Croatia. The Vatreni, however, will be expected to rest quite a few players as they’re already through to the round of 16 as group winners, which could tip the scales in Iceland’s favor.
Nigeria, for their part, were quite poor against the Croats but were very impressive against Iceland. The Super Eagles outplayed and outclassed the debutants from start to finish, who attempted to play the same ultra-defensive approach that worked mostly against Argentina. Certainly, had they shown more attacking impetus in their opening match they clearly could have caused Croatia some problems, who only beat them thanks to an own goal and a penalty.
Nigeria, however, doesn’t have a great track record against Argentina. They’ve never beat them at a World Cup but did put on a good show at the last edition in Brazil. Ahmed Musa, who scored both of Nigeria’s goals against Iceland, also got onto the scoresheet in 2014 versus the Albiceleste, but his brace was not enough to help the Super Eagles overcome their hoodoo against the South Americans.
Still, they did manage to beat them 4-2 in a friendly clash prior to this tournament, and that November 2017 victory was a result that Nigerians celebrated wildly – despite it not counting for anything. It was perhaps a marker how the team has improved, and now Super Eagles supporters will be hoping the team can do it on the biggest stage and take advantage of an Argentina side who right now are like a wounded animal on its last legs.
However, a wounded animal is a dangerous thing, and Nigeria will want to approach this game cautiously. Remember, Argentina were facing a failure to qualify on the final matchday, and Messi popped up with a hat-trick against Ecuador to seal their ticket to Russia. That’s something the Super Eagles will have in mind as they aim to become the first African side to book a spot in the next rounds at this tournament. Will they send Argentina packing and record their first ever World Cup win against the South American giants? Or will Messi and his colleagues finally wake up from their stupor and get back on track?
