A frantic finish in Group D saw Argentina go through to the knockout round after a 2-1 victory over Nigeria at the World Cup on Tuesday.
The result wasn’t certain until the final moments, and for a few minutes, it seemed as though a single goal might result in Argentina, Nigeria, or even Iceland going through as the second place team in the group.
Last-Minute Heroics
Heading into Tuesday’s action, the only certainties in Group D were that Croatia was through to the next round, while Nigeria completely controlled its own destiny and would advance with a win. Meanwhile, both Argentina and Iceland needed wins to have a chance to go through to the knockout stage.
Argentina started quick, with Lionel Messi finally delivering a signature moment at the 2018 World Cup. Messi took a pass over the top of the Nigerian defense and slotted it past goalkeeper Francis Uzoho to give his team a 1-0 lead after 14 minutes of play.
That score would remain in place until halftime, and with Iceland and Croatia locked in a scoreless draw, it appeared that the Argentinians were in position to advance. But Nigeria were awarded a penalty early in the second half, and Victor Moses confidently converted from the spot, tying the score at one and putting Nigeria back in the driver’s seat in terms of advancement.
Meanwhile, Iceland appeared to be all but dead after a 53rd-minute goal by Milan Badelj. But a handball by Dejan Lovren gave Iceland a penalty, and Gylfi Sigurdsson made up for miss against Nigeria by burying it to put Iceland back in the mix.
With a decisive goal in either game having enormous implications, it was an unlikely hero that sent Argentina through. Defender Marcos Rojo smashed in a pass from Gabriel Mercado in the 86th minute to give the South Americans a 2-1 lead. Argentina held off Nigeria in the final minutes to secure the victory.
Iceland still could have gone through on goal differential had they grabbed a late winner themselves. But the smallest country ever to play at a World Cup opened themselves up in a desperate attention to get that goal, and it was instead Ivan Perisic who scored in the 90th minute to give Croatia a 2-1 victory.
Those results meant that Croatia won the group with a perfect nine points, while Argentina finished second on four points to advance.
Thrilling Nil-Nil Draw for Denmark
Denmark and France played to the first scoreless draw of the 2018 World Cup, but that was enough to clinch advancement for the Danish side. There were few chances generated by either team, and the crowd jeered the lack of action in the final minutes, but Denmark was happy to take the result, as it ensured they would join France in the knockout phase.
That result made the outcome of the other game in Group C irrelevant in terms of advancement, as Australia needed a win and a loss by Denmark to have hopes of going through to the Round of 16. But Australia didn’t hold up its end of the bargain either, as Peru captured its first points of the tournament with a 2-0 win.
Peru took the lead early on an 18th minute goal by Andre Carrillo, who scored the first World Cup goal in 36 years for his country on a volley from the edge of the box. Captain Paolo Guerrero scored early in the second half to seal the win for his side, the first victory at the World Cup for Peru since 1978.
The results mean that France will take on Argentina in the Round of 16, while Croatia meets Denmark. While William Hill has the Danish side as a 66/1 outsider to win the tournament, France (10/1), Argentina (12/1) and Croatia (12/1) are all seen as realistic contenders to lift the World Cup.
