2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil Match 42 Group F Nigeria Vs Argentina Wednesday June 25,2014

Nigeria Vs  Argentina at Estadio Beira-Rio, Porto Alegre

Managers

Stephen Keshi(Nigeria)
Alejandro Sabella(Argentina)

MATCH FACTS

Head-to-head

• Nigeria have lost all three previous World Cup encounters with Argentina, all of which were in the group stage.
• They were also defeated by Paraguay in the group stage of the 1998 World Cup, meaning they have lost all four of their World Cup games against South American opposition.
• Including friendlies, the Super Eagles have won just one of six games against Argentina. That was a 4-1 victory in Abuja, when the visitors fielded an unfamiliar line-up.
• Argentina also beat Nigeria in the final of the 2005 Under-20 World Cup and the gold-medal match at the 2008 Olympics.

Nigeria

• Victory against Bosnia-Hercegovina gave Nigeria their first win in 10 World Cup games (W1, D3, L6).
• They attempted 20 shots (including blocked efforts) against the Bosnians, although 14 were from long range.
• Joseph Yobo is set for his 100th cap - and will become the first Nigerian to reach the landmark.
• The Super Eagles are the only side who have yet to concede at this tournament. They have gone 221 minutes without conceding a World Cup goal since South Korea's Park Chu-Young scored against them in 2010.

Argentina

• Argentina have won 11 of their last 14 World Cup group games (D2, L1), scoring 27 goals and conceding just five.
• They have won four of five World Cup games against African opposition. Their only defeat was their first match in that sequence, a 1-0 loss to Cameron in 1990.
• Lionel Messi has scored 22 goals in his last 22 games for Argentina.
• Messi had just one touch inside the penalty area against Iran.

The Super Eagles(Nigeria) need a point to go through, while their result will be irrelevant if Iran fail to beat Bosnia-Hercegovina.
They have plenty of World Cup history against the Argentines - this is their fifth World Cup campaign, and the fourth time they have faced the South American heavyweights.
They have lost all three previous meetings but only by a single-goal margin. And given the Super Eagles(Nigeria) are the only side yet to concede a World Cup goal in Brazil, it could be another frustrating 90 minutes for Argentina and their army of supporters.

Argentina beats Nigeria 3-2
Goal Scorers
For Argentina -Lionel Messi(3 and 45)and MarcosRojo (50)

For Nigeria -Ahmed Musa

After scoring the winning goal in his side’s first two Group F encounters, Messi was at it again here at a pulsating Estadio Beira-Rio.

Only this time he struck twice before Marcos Rojo stepped forward to settle another utterly absorbing encounter and become only the second Argentina player to score at these finals.

Unless he takes drastic action it might prove rather difficult for Alejandro Sabella to stop his players relying too much on Lionel Messi.