A bolt from the blue saw Marcos Rojo etch his name in Argentina football folklore.
A dramatic 86th minute strike from the Manchester United defender sealed three points for his side, carrying them into the next round of the World Cup with a 2-1 victory over Nigeria.
Lionel Messi’s sumptuous control and finish opened the scoring before Victor Moses equalised from the spot for the Super Eagles only for Rojo to grab the headlines.
Here, we take a closer look at the man of the moment.
STATISTICS
30-SECOND REPORT
Rojo was drafted back into the starting line-up to partner Nicolas Otamendi in central defence after Jorge Sampaoli’s ill-advised switch to three at the back in a 3-0 defeat to Croatia. He was utterly dominant in the air as he helped keep a dangerous two-pronged attack of Ahmed Musa and Kelechi Iheanacho relatively quiet.
Meanwhile, only Otamendi (8) made more clearances than Rojo (5) as they had to weather the onslaught from Nigeria in the second half before he popped up with the all-important winner.
GOT RIGHT
FINISH – While his defensive contributions were valuable on the night, it’s that one moment that will live long in the memory of every Argentina supporter.
La Albiceleste were chasing the game and while they managed to exert a considerable amount of pressure on Nigeria, a wayward shot from Gonzalo Higuain was all they could muster in terms of efforts at goal in the second half.
Fortune favours the brave and Rojo boldly left his station and ventured into the opposition’s box unmarked. When the chance fell to him, the finish was unerring.
GOT WRONG
RASH CALLS – While he did manage one key pass, his attempts to go direct from back to front were often fruitless as only one of his five long balls were accurate. That made for a relatively poor pass accuracy of 71.2 per cent in comparison to his more composed centre-back partner, who registered 89.2 per cent.
He was fortunate not to concede a penalty for a high boot in clearing the ball ahead of Iheanacho, while a poor defensive header could’ve proved costly.
VERDICT
With one swing of his weaker right foot, a nation was sent into delirium. Argentina live to fight another day and Rojo may never score a more important goal.
Messi riding on his back during the wild celebrations was a welcome change and somewhat symbolic.
RATING: 7/10
All statistics are compiled using whoscored.com
