Argentina and Nigeria close out their group stage games Wednesday in Porto Alegre in a game between a side already qualified, and an opponent looking to guarentee qualification. The winner of this matchup will win Group F, but as the Argentines are already through with six points, a draw will be enough for them to come out as group winners. That result will also send the 'Super Eagles' on to the round of 16, as they sit second in the group with four points after a 0-0 draw with Iran and a squeaky 1-0 victory over eliminated Bosnia-Herzegovina. Iran will need a victory over the Bosnians and an Argentina win in order to stay alive in this years World Cup.
Argentina come into this matchup after being saved by a late Lionel Messi strike against Iran. The game ended 1-0, but the result really hides the poor play displayed by Argentina, who came into this tournament as one of the favorites. Slow progression, lackluster passing, and an overall carelessness in the final third defined the Argentine match against a resiliant Iran side, but late magic from none other than The Flea himself salvaged all three points for Le Albiceleste and guarenteed them qualification before their final match -- a repeat of a game they played in 2010 in South Africa. Coach Alejandro Sabella will need attacking players Sergio Aguero, Gonzalo Higuain, Angel di Maria, and Messi to be on form if they are to defeat Nigeria, which they are expected to do.
Nigeria sit comfortably second in Group F, and can even squeeze by to the knockout rounds with a loss against the Argentines if Bosnia-Herzegovina wins or draws against Iran in the simultaneous game. In their last match, the 'Super Eagles' held on to defeat the Bosnians 1-0, but not without some excellent late goalkeeping by Vincent Enyeama. Enyeama and Nigeria met Argentina in the 2010 World Cup and lost the exciting match 1-0, but the Argentines probably would have scored more if not for the acrobatic saves produced by Enyeama. Coach Stephen Keshi will look for the creative abilities of John Obi Mikel in the midfield to spark chances for strikers Peter Odemwingie and Emanuelle Emenike.
This game should be dominated by Argentina, who have failed to thus far display their true attacking abilities. With the talent of Messi on their side, they really should have handily defeated Iran, and even their 2-1 victory over Bosnia-Herzegovina was unconvincing. Sabella will need his men in tip top form if they are to advance far in this tournament, while Keshi will look for his side to sit back, get 10 men behind the ball, defend stoutly as did Iran, and counter quickly when afforded the opportunity.
The game is set to kick off at 12:00 PM EST at the Estadio Beira-Rio in Porto Alegre. It can be seen on ESPN and in Spanish on Univision. If you want to live stream the match, simply go to WatchESPN here and here for a live stream in Spanish.
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