Sourav Ganguly rooted for 'Champion' Lionel Messi to perform; the footballer obliged

Argentina have a huge fan base in Kolkata and it doesn't spring a surprise that Messi is one Ganguly's of his favorites

Published - 27 Jun 2018, 13:04 IST | Updated - 27 Jun 2018, 13:04 IST

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The 2018 FIFA World Cup is currently into the final stages of the Group matches. Argentina, being the runners-up of the event in 2014, was touted to be a stern force prior to the mega event. However, they found themselves in a rabbit hole following their first two matches versus Iceland and Croatia respectively. While they lost to Croatia, the team hung on to a draw against Iceland.

With one contest remaining, they languished at the bottom of the table with a solitary point. Their last match versus Nigeria was a must-win one. Lionel Messi, one of their star players, hadn’t had an auspicious tournament. He missed a penalty versus Iceland and his team desperately needed for the legendary footballer to fire on all cylinders.

Messi’s masterclass in the crunch moment

In the 14th minute, Messi churned out a piece of brilliance and took the Argentines to a 1-0 lead early on. Ever Banega lofted the ball over the Nigerian defense and Messi completed the formalities. The breakthrough was much needed for Argentina as they needed a win to qualify. Victor Moses made amends for Nigeria in the 51st minutes to draw level.

However, in another superlative display of nerves, Marcos Rojo churned out a goal in the 86th minute to save the day for Argentina. They would’ve been happier had Messi wasn’t shown the Yellow Card for wasting time in the end. Meanwhile, Sourav Ganguly, the former Indian cricketer, has been following the game as an ardent football fanatic.

Argentina have a huge fan base in Kolkata and it doesn’t spring a surprise that Lionel Messi is one of his favorites. On the eve of the match, he hoped for the modern day great to weave his magic and Messi didn’t disappoint him by any means. He took to Twitter and dropped a couple of messages (one before the match and the other after the goal)