World Cup day 13 could have been a special but sad day. Messi and Argentina were on the verge of eliminated before the knockout stages. One day after Cristiano Ronaldo just survived the group stages, it was up to Messi and co to do the same.
World Cup day 13
Four matches were played on the 13th day of this championship. In the afternoon we’ve seen the matches in Group C. Denmark took on France for the first place in the group, while Australia tried to get to the second place in the match against Peru. Later on the day it was up to the teams in Group D, where Iceland tried to qualify against Croatia. Argentina and Nigeria played in the other match for the second spot behind Croatia in the group.
Denmark versus France
A draw in this match was enough for both teams. France would top the group with a draw, while Denmark secured qualification for the knockout stages with a draw. As everybody expected both teams played for a draw and this became the most boring match this tournament.
Australia versus Peru
Bert van Marwijk’s Australia had a small chance of qualifying for the next round, while Peru wanted to show the world they can play football. Peru was clearly the better team so it was no surprise that Carrillo opened the score in the 18th minute. Surprise package Guerrero doubled the score in the second half and killed the hope for the Aussies.
Iceland versus Croatia
Iceland needed a win in this match to keep hope for the next round, but it was Croatia who took the lead in the beginning of the second half. An equaliser in the 76th minute combined with the score in the other match brought the hope back for Iceland. Unfortunately for them it was Perisic who scored the last goal of this match, bringing Croatia on a 2-1 victory.
Nigeria versus Argentina
This was one of the most interesting matches in the last round of the group stages. Both teams were still able to qualify for the next round. Lionel Messi stood up in this match and scored the 1-0 for Argentina. A penalty in the second half brought Nigeria level, meaning they were virtually second in the group. In the dying second of this match Marcus Rojo scored the 2-1 for Argentina, which was just about enough to qualify for the knockout stages.