Argentina 1-0 Iran: Late Messi magic prevents one of the great World Cup upsets

Lionel Messi rescued Argentina in added time to deny Iran one of its greatest-ever World Cup results in Belo Horizonte.

The Barcelona number 10 had toiled away throughout the game with seemingly no reward, but with a minute of additional time played, he produced a signature left-footed shot to claim three points for his nation.

Prior to then the Iranians looked more likely to leave the happier team, holding the Albiceleste to a goalless draw for the entirety of normal time, and it could have been even better for the minnows had the referee awarded what looked like a clear penalty on Fulham attacker Ashkan Dejagah in the second half.

It wasn’t the only chance for the underdogs either, with Argentine goalkeeper Sergio Romero called into action on several occasions.

Iran coach Carlos Queiroz looked like he had produced a tactical master class in minimising an opponent’s strengths by ceding the flanks to Alejandro Sabella’s team, with the packed middle of the pitch providing little room for Messi to operate in.

Argentina did start brightly but gradually faded after Gonzalo Higuain failed to put an early chance past Alireza Haghighi.

Further chances came as the likes of Ezequiel Garay and Marcos Rojo headed wide from set-pieces, but as the game progressed the opportunities diminished, and Iran’s confidence grew in turn.

For large spells of the second half it was keeper Romero rather than Messi who kept the favourites in the game, with the out of favour Monaco man producing important stops from Dejagah and Reza Ghoochannejhad.

Alejandro Sabella rolled the dice by introducing Ezequiel Lavezzi and Rodrigo Palacio late in the second half, and the extra injection of energy helped to stretch the game for his nation.

With more room to operate in, Messi found the one golden chance he needed, faking twice on the right hand side of the area, before thumping a medium-range shot past Haghighi.

The Iranian heartbreak contrasted Argentinean relief as the final whistle was blown, with Sabella and his team knowing that the three points could be vital in avoiding a clash with France in the last 16.

Messi, meanwhile, provided further evidence that he is finally starting to come out of Diego Maradona's shadow in the famous blue and white shirt, with two decisive goals in two games at the 2014 World Cup.