Argentina 3-2 Nigeria: Just 2/3 of Messi's performance would have been enough.

For the third consecutive match, Messi scored and Argentina won. Day after day, the "number 10" is showing that he is no longer haunted by the immense pressure of expectations.

Of course, there are still many more tests ahead for him and the Albiceleste, but that's a matter for the future. For now, there's joy. From the two decisive goals against Bosnia (2-1) and Iran (1-0) to the brace against Nigeria, Messi is playing with joy, a stark contrast to the tired image before the tournament. Last night, even though Messi only played 60 minutes, his brilliance overshadowed the weaknesses that still exist in the Albiceleste, from their defense to the shortcomings of the players around him.

Matches in the final round of fixtures are usually closely contested and low-scoring, but last night's game at Beira-Rio was quite open. As early as the third minute, Angel Di Maria broke through to face Enyeama, but his shot hit the post, bounced off the goalkeeper's head, and struck the post again. However, Messi was there in time to score the rebound. At 2 minutes and 26 seconds, that was the earliest goal the 27-year-old striker has ever scored in his career.

Many thought that goal could be the start of a "slaughter" by the South American team, but surprisingly, just one minute later, Nigeria equalized with a spectacular goal from Ahmed Musa. Starting from a quick counter-attack, the CSKA Moscow striker unleashed a perfectly placed curling shot into the far corner of Romero's net. The back-and-forth scoring continued as Messi put Argentina ahead 2-1 with a perfect free-kick in the first minute of added time in the first half, while Musa equalized 2-2 at the beginning of the second half after a very fluid and lightning-fast attacking move. While the African team's excellent teamwork deserves praise, Argentina's defense was clearly quite passive against central attacks, and this weakness could cost them dearly in the knockout round.

Nevertheless, the 90 minutes against Nigeria left more positives than negatives, as Argentina no longer relied solely on Messi to score. Just two minutes after conceding the equalizer, they scored the winning goal again, with defender Rojo's finish from a corner kick. This allowed coach Sabella to confidently substitute Messi in the 62nd minute, and Argentina maintained their perfect winning record. They need a fit Messi for the upcoming challenges.

For their part, Nigeria were not upset by this defeat, as they still secured the second ticket to the round of 16, because in the other match played at the same time, Iran lost 1-3 to Bosnia and finished last in Group F.

Final standings for Group F:

According to Sports & Culture