Argentina vs. Nigeria, World Cup 2014: Lionel Messi stars, but Super Eagles still progress

Accidental? Intentional? Who knows, but we know one thing for certain, it’s hilarious. We’re also pretty sure it was just Lavezzi messing around.

You have to love how Sabella barely reacts, and just keeps giving Lavezzi instructions.

Argentina took more than 90 minutes to take the lead against Iran, but it took less than three minutes for them to jump ahead of Nigeria. Angel di Maria’s initial shot hit off the post, rebounding right to Messi who was more than happy to direct the ball into the empty, giving his side a 1-0 lead.

Sergio Agüero was taken off in the 38th minute, after picking up what appeared to be a minor injury. Agüero was able to walk off the pitch under his own power, with only the slight appearance of a limp. Ezquiel Lavezzi took his place on the pitch.

But the Nigerians were only level for three minutes. Marcos Rojo turned in a corner to put Argentina back on top, and the defending by the Super Eagles was pretty bad.

No defense games are the best games.

Goodness, Messi.

After a short examination by team physios, Agüero was able to walk off the pitch under his own power, with just the slightest hint of a limp. Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Ezequiel Lavezzi took his place on the pitch.

We’ll have to wait and see what the team says after the match, but based on Agüero being able to walk off the field, it appears the decision to remove him was precautionary. With a spot in the Round of 16 assured, you can’t blame Alejandro Sabella for not wanting to risk further injuring one of his better attacking options.

In the 3rd minute, Lionel Messi roofed this pretty shot right after Angel Di Maria had his effort saved onto the post.

It turns out that anyone predicting a bloodbath was sorely mistaken. Argentina got caught celebrating and Ahmed Musa pulled one back for the Nigerians less than one minute later. His finish might have been even better than Messi’s.

If you’re watching in the USA, you have a couple options for watching he match online. Watch ESPN has an English language feed of the match, as long as you’re provided access to the service through your cable or internet provider. They’ll also have a tactical camera and Portuguese audio option available as well. If Watch ESPN isn’t an option, you can watch a Spanish language feed on Univision En Vivo.

In the UK, you can watch on the ITV Player, while CBC Sports will have a stream available in Canada. There are listings available for other countries as well at Live Soccer TV

Somewhat of note, Porto Alegre is the closest host city to Argentina, which will likely mean a decided home-field advantage.

Match Date/Time: 2 p.m. local, Noon ET