Argentina on Tuesday rescued their World Cup hopes in dramatic fashion as defender Marcos Rojo scored a stunning volley to snatch a late 2-1 win over Nigeria and set up a last-16 match against France.
Lionel Messi set the two-time winners on their way with his first goal in Russia, but Victor Moses equalized from the penalty spot and as time ticked away, the increasingly ragged South Americans appeared to be heading home.
However, Rojo made a surprise appearance in the box to turn home a cross from Gabriel Mercado with a crisp side-footed volley in the 86th minute to send the Argentine fans in St Petersburg, including legendary 1986 World Cup winner Diego Maradona, into raptures.
Photo: Reuters
A highly emotional Maradona rushed to the front of the VIP box where he was watching and gave a one-fingered salute with both hands and shouted an obscene insult.
Maradona later became unwell and a video emerged of him being helped by two people in his entourage into a chair. Photographs showed the 57-year-old being tended to by paramedics, although Argentinian daily Ola reported he later went to his hotel.
Argentina’s escape came after Rojo came close to having a penalty awarded against for handball minutes earlier until he was saved by a controversial video-assisted review.
Photo: EPA
“It is marvelous to have won it in this manner. It is a deserved joy,” Messi said in quotes on Argentina’s Twitter account. “We knew God was with us and wasn’t going to let us go out.”
At the drama played out, 1,500km away in Rostov-on-Don, Croatia snuffed out the challenge of Iceland, scoring late through Ivan Perisic to seal a 2-1 win and complete a perfect group stage.
Croatia are to face Denmark in the first knockout round in Nizhny Novgorod on Sunday, but Nigeria and Euro 2016 surprise package Iceland are to head home.
Croatia took the lead thanks to a slick second-half volley by Milan Badelj. Gylfi Sigurdsson equalized from the penalty spot before Perisic struck late.
Croatia were already through to the last 16 and coach Zlatko Dalic rested most of the side that thumped Argentina 3-0, with only captain Luka Modric and Perisic keeping their places.
“Our goal is achieved,” man-of-the-match Badelj said. “We are top of the group and we are ready to compete in the second round of the World Cup. Now we can concentrate on preparations for the knockout stage.”
Earlier, France and Denmark produced the first goalless match of the tournament in front of 78,000 spectators in Moscow.
Didier Deschamps rested goalkeeper Hugo Lloris and midfielder Paul Pogba among six changes and his side struggled to create any clear-cut chances against a determined Denmark.
Deschamps quickly switched his focus toward what he called the “second competition” after the uninspiring contest.
“There’s a second competition that’s going to start, the last 16 is straight elimination,” said the coach, who must now prepare his players to face Messi and Argentina. “There’s a mountain in front of us now, but we’re there and we’re full of ambition to get to the next stage.”
Australia are to go back to the drawing board after they ended on the bottom of Group C with a solitary point following a 2-0 defeat to Peru, who are also heading home.
Andre Carrillo and Paolo Guerrero, the veteran who was only cleared to play days before the tournament after having a ban for taking cocaine lifted, scored in Sochi.
Tim Cahill, the 38-year-old Australian midfielder, came on as a substitute for his first appearance in his fourth World Cup, but was unable to influence the outcome and the Socceroos will have to look to the future with talents such as 19-year-old Iranian-born Daniel Arzani.
Japan’s Shohei Ohtani is the record-breaking baseball “superhuman” following in the footsteps of the legendary Babe Ruth who has also earned comparisons to US sporting greats Michael Jordan and Tom Brady. Not since Ruth a century ago has there been a baseball player capable of both pitching and hitting at the top level. The 30-year-old’s performances with the Los Angeles Dodgers have consolidated his position as a baseball legend in the making, and a national icon in his native Japan. He continues to find new ways to amaze, this year becoming the first player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases
Zhang Shuai yesterday said that she nearly quit after losing 24 matches in a row — now the world No. 595 is into the quarter-finals of her home China Open. The 35-year-old is to face Spain’s Paula Badosa as the lowest-ranked player to reach this stage in the history of the tournament after Badosa reeled off 11 of the last 12 games in a 6-4, 6-0 victory over US Open finalist Jessica Pegula. Zhang went into Beijing on a barren run lasting more than 600 days and her string of singles defeats was the second-longest on the WTA Tour Open era, which
Taiwan’s Tony Wu yesterday beat Mackenzie McDonald of the US to win the Nonthaburi Challenger IV in Thailand, his first challenger victory since 2022. The 26-year-old world No. 315, who won both his qualifiers to advance to the main draw, has been on a hot streak this month, winning his past nine matches, including two that ensured Taiwan’s victory in their Davis Cup World Group I tie. Wu took just more than two hours to top world No. 172 McDonald 6-3, 7-6 (7/4) to win his second challenger tournament since the Tallahassee Tennis Challenger in 2022. Wu’s Tallahassee win followed two years of
UP IN SMOKE: More than half a dozen riders crashed out of the race, with Marquez’s title chances in doubt after driving off the track with flames flickering from his bike Jorge Martin yesterday won a crash-filled Indonesia MotoGP to extend his championship lead, while closest rival Francesco Bagnaia limited the damage by claiming the final podium place. The win leaves the Pramac Racing rider 21 points ahead of his Italian Ducati rival, who finished third behind Spaniard Pedro Acosta in sweltering conditions at the Mandalika International Street Circuit on Lombok island. In front of a crowd of 60,000 in motorbike-mad Indonesia, the 26-year-old put his tumble in Saturday’s sprint behind him, canceling out the gains his title rival Bagnaia made after securing victory in that race. “Thank you Indonesia. I am very happy.
RSS