Relieved Messi grateful at surviving Nigeria ordeal

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Super Eagles suffer stage fright, but young team have potential for future

ST PETERSBURG, Russia, June 27, (RTRS): A relieved Lionel Messi said on Tuesday he had not expected to suffer so much against Nigeria, but that he and his Argentina team mates were always confident about winning the crucial World Cup clash that secured them a place in the last 16.

The Barcelona forward opened the scoring with a fine goal in the dramatic 2-1 win over Nigeria that sent the South Americans through to the knockout stages behind Croatia in Group D.

“We already knew we were going to win, we were confident that God would help us, that all would turn out well. But we did not expect the complication of the draw, of suffering so much,” Messi told Argentine media.

After the Africans equalised through a Victor Moses penalty in the 51st minute, captain Messi said his side got “nervous.”

“We had the impression that time was going by faster. That’s the reason we started attacking and pressing more and that’s how we managed to score to go through,” he said in a news conference later on Tuesday.

Deliverance came at the 86th minute thanks to a strike from defender Marcos Rojo that secured the win.

“We made many changes, trying to create opportunities but the important thing today was the players were really brave. That courage made this result possible,” said Argentina coach Jorge Sampaoli.

Argentina will need to be more consistent when facing France in the last 16, he added.

“The match against France is going to be tough as well and we need to be very coherent to win,” Sampaoli said.

Messi echoed his coach’s comments, saying that the squad had watched all of France’s games and that they had to brace themselves for the skilled Europeans.

“I also have team mates who I know very well both in the front and the back lines. I know who they are and I know what we will have to do,” said Messi.

Asked by Argentine media how he felt personally, Messi, who turned 31 this week, replied: “I’m good. I’m very happy. It would have been very painful to have been eliminated in the first round.”

Sampaoli defended his talisman from perennial criticism that he plays with more effort for his club Barcelona than for his home country.

“Messi every time he plays he shows that he is a fantastic player, that he is above any body else. But he needs the support from his team mates. Only then will he play at his best,” said Sampaoli.

Nigeria may have suffered a bout of stage fright that proved their undoing against Argentina and ensured their early elimination at the World Cup in Russia, but a youthful squad has much potential for the future.

The Super Eagles were just minutes from ensuring a top two finish in Group D but gave up a last-gasp goal to Argentina in St Petersburg on Tuesday and eventually finished third, having beaten Iceland but lost to both Croatia and the South Americans.

It was the fifth time in the last six World Cups that Nigeria had faced Argentina in the opening round, and their losing record continued with the narrow 2-1 defeat.

It was always going to be a difficult task for a largely young and inexperienced side, with only five survivors from the squad that reached the second round in Brazil four years ago.

Nigeria had the youngest squad in Russia with an average age of 25.9-years — and it showed.

A teenaged goalkeeper, inexperienced defence and young forwards like Kelechi Iheanacho and Alex Iwobi looked overwhelmed at times, almost in awe of their opponents.

That was particularly true of the opening game against Croatia in Kaliningrad, where Nigeria were hardly a factor in a 2-0 defeat, and again against Argentina, notably in the first half.

But flashes of individual brilliance emphasised that Nigeria can be a dangerous proposition when on form, and with more exposure they are expected to be among the favourites for next year’s African Nations Cup title.

“We have a very young team who lack some experience, but in four years we’ll be very strong,” predicted coach Gernot Rohr after Tuesday’s defeat as he looked ahead even further to the next World Cup in Qatar.

He will need to get more out of Victor Moses, who is key to the side but made no impression in Russia and hope for more consistency too from Ahmed Musa, whose two expertly taken goals against Iceland proved the high point for the Africans.

But Rohr has the material to produce a more competitive outfit in the years ahead.

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