Argentina somehow managed to overcome Nigeria 2-1 at Saint Petersburg Stadium in a decisive game of the Group D, as La Albiceleste needed three points to surpass the Super Eagles at the Group D table and qualify for the last 16 of the 2018 World Cup. Argentina was a clear -180 favorite to beat Nigeria and send the Super Eagles home, while the clash was finished in the over of the total of 2.5 goals at -167.
Game Recap
Both Nigeria and Argentina started the game nervously, making a lot of mistakes in the middle of the park, but neither side couldn’t keep the focus to punish those errors. The pressure was huge with so much at the stake, and the experienced Argentian team managed to play better than a young Nigeria side.
Argentina took the lead in the 14th minute when Lionel Messi scored his first goal of the tournament. It was a brilliant first touch from the little magician and a perfect right-foot finish to end up a six-game goalless drought on the biggest stage. La Albiceleste had a couple of chances to double the lead, including Messi’s free-kick when the ball hit the post, but it was a narrow lead at the halftime with the odds at +100 on Argentina to win it.
Six minutes into the second half, Nigeria shocked Argentina with an equalizing goal from the penalty kick after Javier Mascherano’s silly foul inside the box. Since then, we saw a quite confusing clash, as Argentina was pushing forward in numbers, but without a clear plan how to break Nigeria’s defense, while on the other side, the Super Eagles were trying to take the lead on the counter. Nigeria had an excellent opportunity when Franco Armani stopped Odion Ighalo’s strike, and in the 86th minute, Argentina’s defender Marcos Rojo scored the winning goal with a fantastic right-foot volley.
La Albiceleste had the ball on their feet for 66% of the time, taking eight shots on goal, as four went on target, but they couldn’t cover the spread at -1.5 with the wages at +130. Nigeria had nine shots towards Franco Armani, three of those on target, and we could easily see a couple of more goals in this match, so the bettors who wagered on both teams to score at -133 got some modest wages here.
Nigeria is now going home, while Argentina meets France in a derby clash of the Round of 16 where Albiceleste will be +260 underdogs to beat the Blues, according to BetDSI Sportsbook. Argentina is at +1200 to beat the 2018 World Cup, while the price on the Quarter-Finals is set at +125.
