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Argentina are through to the next round following a 1-0 victory against Iran. It was Messi to the rescue as he produced another highlight of the tournament.
Despite the win, Argentina were awful in attack. Aguero, Higuain and Di Maria are not in form and need to start performing soon if Argentina are hoping to claim the World Cup.
Iran were superb, especially in defence. Their best performance in a World Cup by far and one that will win plenty of admirers.
FINAL SCORE:
Argentina 1
Iran 0
Argentina are coming off an unconvincing win in their first World Cup match over Bosnia and Herzegovina, and will look to put Iran to the sword with a strong attacking display today. Join us for live scores and commentary from 2am AEST.
Coach Alejandro Sabella surprised many with his cautious approach against Bosnia, opting to employ a 5-3-2 formation instead of the more attacking 4-3-3.
These conservative tactics backfired for Sabella, with Argentina struggling to create any chances of note in the first half against a well organised Bosnia outfit.
Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero and Angel Di Maria were simply not flourishing with possession for Argentina in the first half.
Thankfully, Sabella realised the error of his ways and reverted back to the 4-3-3 formation that served Argentina so well during the qualifiers.
Gonzalo Higuain and Fernando Gago were brought on at the start of the second half and Argentina were far more dangerous as a result. It was no surprise that Messi’s great goal in the second half was made possible thanks to Higuain’s fine touch in the lead-up.
Argentina should be expected to come out with a far more offensive approach against Iran. The Iranians did well to draw against Nigeria and will once again adopt a very defensive approach to stifle Argentina’s attack.
With plenty of fans left unimpressed by Argentina’s victory over Bosnia, expect the two-time World Cup champions to come out all guns blazing today. If Messi gets on the score sheet early, he will most likely lead Argentina to a big win.
With Argentina expected to attack at will, Iran’s best hope will be to score on the counter. They will certainly have opportunities if they move the ball quickly enough but a fit and firing Argentina attack really should put Iran to the sword.
Argentina to win 5-0