Messi enjoys playing for Argentina, says Sampaoli

In the video that has gone viral, shows the reporter asking Messi if he wore the lucky charm after Argentina won the match.

It nearly doesn’t matter.

It had been an impressive half from Argentina, but the game was to take a twist shortly after the interval.

Five European countries have lifted the World Cup in the tournament’s 88-year history, all of them from the West.

“How are we supposed to know what to do with football if we don’t even know what to do with Lionel Messi”.

There had been a widespread hope in Nigeria that the team could progress from Group D, which was widely considered to be one of the toughest in the tournament since it brought together Argentina, Croatia and Iceland alongside Nigeria.

What better time than a World Cup in Russian Federation for the eastern side of Europe to win one? The relief was evident in Messi’s celebration, and it’s not hard to understand why.

“He told everyone to attack no matter what”.

Victory over Nigeria seems to have unified the camp in a way that was unimaginable amid the chaos following the Croatia game.

The 58-year-old manager has already come under heavy criticism at the World Cup, with rumors circulating that the Argentina players have started to take control of the dressing room due to Sampaoli’s tactics. “Other people have more trust in themselves when Modric is on the pitch”.

Mascherano, his unexplained black-eye having now disappeared, later posted a picture of his lakeside view at the team’s training base on Instagram, highlighting that he was in “peace”.

Add to that the absence of Italy, who have also won four trophies and three-time finalists Netherlands, who both failed to qualify, the round of 16 has an unfamiliar feel to it.

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

Rojo then struck a superb late victor to snatch victory and book a meeting with Group C winners France in Kazan on Saturday in the first game of the second phase of the tournament.