On Tuesday evening, the battles of Group D ended. The crucial battle in St. Petersburg featured the national teams of Nigeria and Argentina. Argentina avoided tragedy, and the hero of the match was defender Marcos Rojo - the Argentinians celebrated the victory, which guaranteed them second place in the group.
The match started with active play from both teams - the Argentinians had more possession, but the Nigerians threatened with quick attacks.
In the 14th minute, Lionel Messi, who had been silent for two matches in a row, delighted his team by receiving a great pass from Ever Banega and breaking away from the opponents with a precise shot to put Argentina ahead.
In the 33rd minute, L. Messi could have increased the lead to two goals - the Argentinian took a penalty shot, but the ball hit the post and the score remained 1-0.
The second half started poorly for Argentina - right at the beginning, Javier Mascherano fouled an opponent in the penalty area and a penalty kick was awarded against them. Victor Moses did not flinch - he leveled the score with a cool finish and once again complicated the Argentine's chances.
After missing the goal, creating attacks in the opponent's area was not easy for the Argentine team - Nigeria felt their game and threatened the opponents' goal with Ahmed Musa leading the charge.
In the 76th minute, Argentine fans' hearts briefly stopped - the match referee from Turkey used the VAR system and reviewed a possible handball. Although Marco Rojo played the ball with his hand in the penalty area, the referee did not dare to award a second penalty kick.
With 10 minutes left to play, Argentina took a risk - they removed a defender and sent Sergio Aguero into the fray. This tactical move did not bring quick results.
In the 86th minute, Argentina was saved from tragedy by Marcos Rojo in the penalty area, who after a precise pass from the edge of the field, scored a precise shot into the corner of the goal, giving no chance to the opponent's goalkeeper.
In the remaining time, Nigeria failed to save their team - Argentina maintained a positive result and celebrated their qualification to the next stage. In the quarterfinals, the South Americans will face a tough opponent - the French team, who finished first in their group.
Result: Nigeria 1 - 2 Argentina 14' [0 - 1] L. Messi 51' [1 - 1] V. Moses (penalty) 86' [1 - 2] M. Rojo
Never in doubt. Was it? #NGAARG #ISLCRO 
