Lionel Messi says Argentina had to suffer to reach last 16 of World Cup
Lionel Messi confessed he and his team-mates”suffered a lot” during the 2-1 win over Nigeria which saw Argentina qualify for the last 16 of the World Cup.
The two-time World Cup winners were on track to crash out of the tournament when Victor Moses’ penalty cancelled out Messi’s early opener, but Marcos Rojo volleyed home four minutes before the end to set up a clash with France on Saturday afternoon.
Argentina qualified with just four points in Group D having drawn with Iceland and lost to Croatia, and captain Messi admitted the squad have been through a hard period.
We have suffered a lot,” he said.
“It was a difficult situation. There was a lot at stake. Of course, it was a huge relief, a relief for all of us.
“It was a difficult match. We knew it was going to be a difficult afternoon, but fortunately we have achieved our aim.
“We didn’t think we would suffer as much as we have. We were quite confident that we would be able to go through and fortunately that came through.”
Messi missed a penalty in Argentina’s World Cup opener against Iceland, but finished brilliantly to open the scoring on Tuesday evening.
He ran to celebrate with his under-pressure manager Jorge Sampaoli, who was grateful for the gesture after a week of media criticism.
Sampaoli said: “A coach who has to train Leo knows that everybody around him needs to make him feel secure and if we are able to create space for Leo he can create opportunities. Otherwise we suffer.
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