Lionel Messi scored twice to lead Argentina to a 3:2 victory over Nigeria in their last group F match of the World Cup.

The match began spectacularly, with two goals in the opening 4 minutes. First Messi fired in from close range, from a shot deflected off the post. In the following attack however, Ahmed Musa equalized with a neat shot curled into the left corner of Romero’s goal.

Just on the brink of halftime, once again Messi came to the front of the show, scoring a free kick, which left the Nigerian goalkeeper still on his line.

The Africans started the second half in the best possible way. Musa scored his second goal of the match, after a classy combination of passes, which led him past the Argentine defense. Their joy would only last for 3 minutes however, as Marcos Rojo restored the South Americans’ lead with his first goal for the national team, after a corner kick.

The rest of the match was played in considerably slower tempo, perhaps due to the fact that Nigeria heard the good news from the other ground, where Bosnia-Herzegovina was leading Iran. Bosnia’s 3:1 win meant that Nigeria progressed into the next round as second place in the group.

In the round of 16, Nigeria will play against France, while Argentina will face Switzerland, who qualified after a 3:0 win over Honduras on Wednesday.

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