Messi Samai Neymar, Cetak Dua Gol dalam Satu Laga
Anything Neymar Can Do, Messi Can Too
Editor : Cahyani Harzi
Translator : Dhelia Gani
Porto Allegre (B2B) - Dua gol Lionel Mess di babak pertama dan satu gol M Rojo di babak kedua mengantar Argentina unggul 3-2 atas Nigeria pada pertandingan Grup F Piala Dunia 2014 di Stadion Beira Rio, Porto Alegre, yang berlangsung hingga Kamis dini hari WIB. Sementara gol Nigeria diborong oleh Ahmed Musa.
Dengan hasil tersebut Argentina yang sudah dipastikan lolos ke babak 16 besar memimpin klasemen akhir Grup F dengan nilai sempurna sembilan dari tiga kemenangan, seperti dilansir Yahoo Sports.
Sementara itu Nigeria, walau kalah, tetap menduduki urutan kedua dengan nilai empat dan juga lolos ke babak selanjutnya karena ada pertandingan lainnya Iran kalah 1-3 Bosnia Herzegovina. Hasil ini membuat Bosnia Herzegovina berada di urutan ketiga dan Iran menjadi juru kunci.
Terjadi saling balas gol pada pertandingan terakhir Grup H antara Argentina dan Negeria.
Argentina unggul lebih dulu berkat gol Messi di menit ketiga. Gol berawal dari tembakan Angel Di Maria yang mengenai tiang gawang dan bola muntahan ke tengah area penalti disambut Messi dengan tendangan keras ke gawang Nigeria.
Namun kegembiraan kubu Argentina tidak berlangsung lama. Satu menit kemudian, pemain Nigeria Ahmed Musa menaklukan penjaga gawang Sergio Romero, melalui tendangan keras ke sisi kiri gawang.
Saat pertandingan memasuki tambahan waktu, Messi mencetak gol cantik melalui tendangan bebas. Tendangan kaki kiri Messi melewati pagar hidup dan tepat ke pojok kiri bawah gawang Nigeria, tanpa kiper mencoba untuk menghalaunya.
Gol kedua Messi ini membalas kegagalan tiga menit sebelumnya. Di menit 43, penyerang Barcelona ini juga melakukan tendangan bebas namun bola terarah berhasil di tepis Ejike Uzoenyi.
Namun di awal babak kedua, Musa kembali membuat gol bagi Nigeria sehingga skor menjadi 2-2. Musa yang berlari dari tengah lapangan menerima umpan dan langsung melakukan tendngan keras ke gawang Argentina.
Tidak lama kemudian M Rojo kembali membuat Argentina unggul menjadi 3-2 setelah terjadi kemelut di depan gawang Argentina.
Walaupun Argentina sudah dipastikan lolos ke babak selanjutnya, namun Argentina tampil menyerang pada pertandingan tersebut, terutama di babak pertama. Namun Nigeria pun melakukan taktik menyerang sehingga pertandingan sangat terbuka dan dalam tempo yang agak cepat.
Penguasaan bola Argentina mencapai 57 persen sementara Nigeria hanya 43 persen. Sementara itu tendangan yang dilakukan Nigeria sebanyak 12 dengan tujuh mengarah ke gawang. Sementara tendangan Argentina mencapai 18 dengan 13 mengarah ke gawang.
Porto Allegre - Lionel Messi scored twice to inspire Argentina to a thrilling 3-2 win over Nigeria on Wednesday which clinched top spot in World Cup Group F and sent home an army of Sky Blue supporters with smiles on their faces.
The few Nigerian fans in the crowd also left happy because their team advanced to the knockout phase thanks to Bosnia´s 3-1 win over Iran. Argentina finished on nine points, Nigeria on four, Bosnia three and Iran one.
The match at Beira Rio stadium was as close as Argentina will come to a home game at this World Cup as an estimated 150,000 fans flooded across the border into this southern port city looking to get in on the party and Messi made sure it started early with a fabulous strike in the third minute.
While some questions continue to hang over Argentina´s status has one of the tournament favourites, Messi´s performance through the group phase of the competition has been nothing short of sensational impressing fans, team mates, coaches and opponents.
Although Argentina were guaranteed a place in the last 16, the twice champions still had plenty to play for on a drizzly day with top spot up for grabs and the soccer world waiting for the Sky Blues to flash their championship credentials after uninspiring wins over debutants Bosnia and unfancied Iran.
Nigeria entered the contest as the only team who had yet to concede a goal but had not faced a side with the attacking quality of Argentina, who immediately put the Super Eagles under pressure.
Boasting one of the most intimidating attacking formations in the business with Messi, Sergio Aguero, Gonzalo Higuain and Angel Di Maria, Argentina had managed just three goals in two matches.
But the "Fab Four" were on song against Nigeria, with a dominating attacking display led by Messi, who struck twice in the opening half and looked dangerous throughout.
Messi, who celebrated his 27th birthday on Tuesday, lashed in a rebound to give his side the lead after three minutes and scored again in first-half stoppage-time when he curled a sensational 20-metre free kick into the corner of the net.
Argentina´s brilliance on the attack was offset by shaky defence as Nigeria´s Ahmed Musa twice cancelled out Messi goals with neat finishes in the fourth and 47th minutes.
The Argentine crowd was stunned when Musa scored just after halftime but were quickly back on their feet celebrating three minutes later when a charging Marcos Rojo stabbed home a bouncing ball with his knee from close range.
