ST. PETERSBURG, Russia – From his thigh to his foot to the back of the net, Lionel Messi finally scored a goal at this year’s World Cup.
The exquisite strike from the Argentina great sparked the first of several celebrations from an animated Diego Maradona, who screamed, shouted and made obscene gestures – and raised concerns for his health.
Argentina staved off elimination with a 2-1 victory over Nigeria on Tuesday, getting a late goal from Marcos Rojo. Maradona showed both middle fingers to the crowd after the 86th-minute winner.
A short time later, videos posted on social media showed Maradona needing help out of the stands and into an adjoining luxury box at the stadium. He appeared to have his eyes closed and a later photo showed a pair of paramedics attending to him.
There was no immediate information on his health, but about two hours later he was photographed smiling at an airport. Another photo posted on Twitter appeared to show him sitting on a plane.
Messi’s goal – his 65th for Argentina – was surely enough to impress even Maradona.
From a long pass over the defense by Ever Banega, Messi caressed the ball with his left thigh, took another touch with his left foot, and then delivered a smooth right-footed finish into the corner.
Messi fell to his knees and pointed his fingers upward in celebration. At the same time, Maradona crossed his arms with his hands on his shoulders and looked to the sky.
“I knew that God is with us,” Messi said, “and he wouldn’t let us get eliminated.”
Messi, who later hit the post off a free kick, and Banega controlled the game in the first half. Rojo finished it off in the second by cushioning a volley with his right foot into the bottom corner and ensuring Messi’s quest for a first World Cup title continued.
Argentina will play France in the last 16 in Kazan on Saturday. If Argentines win and Portugal beats Uruguay on Saturday, Messi would face Cristiano Ronaldo in the quarterfinals.
Without that late goal from Rojo, the 31-year-old Messi might have retired from international soccer for a second time – and for good this time.
Instead, it was Messi who was at the center of the celebrations. His teammates formed a circle around him while striker Gonzalo Higuain cried nearby. Messi then clenched his fist as he turned toward the Argentina fans.
“He’s above everybody else,” Argentina coach Jorge Sampaoli said. “The most important thing for Leo is his human side. He cries. He suffers. He’s happy when Argentina wins. I know him.
“Many people say Leo does not enjoy playing for Argentina, but I do not agree. He enjoys and suffers like all the other players and that makes him even bigger.”
Before Rojo’s goal, Nigeria had been only a few minutes from qualifying for the last 16 for the fourth time.
Javier Mascherano gave away a penalty with a pull on Leon Balogun at a 49th-minute corner. Victor Moses converted – and marked the goal with a somersault – to put Nigeria back in control of the race for second place in the group.
Argentina was facing finishing a World Cup without a win for the first time since 1934, but instead the team is headed to the knockout stage.
“This is Messi,” Nigeria coach Gernot Rohr said with a shrug.
Croatia 2, Iceland 1
Fielding a side filled with reserves, Croatia ended Iceland’s first ever World Cup run with a 2-1 win in Rostov-on-Don.
Milan Badelj crashed a volley against the bar, and moments later scored for Croatia in the 53th minute, sprinting into the area to fire a bouncing shot past goalkeeper Hannes Halldorsson.
Croatia playmaker Luka Modric led the already-qualified Croats for 65 minutes before being taken off, as his team remained in low-gear for most of the match to contain the Icelanders who had needed a win to hope for a place in the last 16.
Iceland equalized with a penalty shot taken by Gylfi Sigurdsson in the 76th minute after substitute Dejan Lovren carelessly handled the ball. But Ivan Perisic punished a defensive error to make it 2-1 at 90 minutes.
Russian fans at the 45,000-seat Rostov Arena rooted for the underdogs as the traveling Iceland supporters kept up their singing and chanting all evening.
Defender Sverrir Ingason twice threatened for Iceland, hitting the crossbar with a header in the second half.
Peru 2, Australia 0
Already-eliminated Peru ended Australia’s hopes of advancing to the knockout round at the World Cup with a 2-0 victory on Tuesday.
The Australians had to beat Peru and hope Denmark lost to France in the other Group C match, but neither result happened. France and Denmark drew 0-0 in Moscow.
Andre Carrillo’s first-half goal – a half-volley from inside the area – was Peru’s first in a World Cup since 1982, the last time the South Americans played in the tournament. Peru hadn’t won a World Cup match since defeating Iran in 1978.
Peru captain Paolo Guerrero, who almost missed the tournament because of a doping suspension, scored the second goal early in the second half to give his team an honorable finish after two opening losses.
Tim Cahill, a 38-year-old striker who entered the match in the second half, couldn’t give Australia a boost as it tried to reach the round of 16 for the first time since 2006.
France 0, Denmark 0
A game neither France nor Denmark needed to win produced the World Cup’s first 0-0 draw amid boos and whistles from fans on Tuesday.
A slow-paced game out of step with a vibrant tournament ensured already-qualified France won Group C and Denmark advanced as runner-up.
A draw ensured that outcome, though Peru’s 2-0 victory over Australia playing at the same time meant the Danes would have advanced to the round of 16 even had they lost to France.
A French team with six starters resting barely tested Denmark goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel until substitute Nabil Fekir tried two long-range shots.
Much of a 78,011 crowd in Luzhniki Stadium whistled misplaced passes and slow play as the game progressed and Denmark protected its point – likely aware Australia had no chance of winning.