Nigeria vs Croatia: What Argentina’s 1-1 draw with Iceland means for Super Eagles

The biggest shock yet of the ongoing World Cup in Russia happened on Saturday when lowly Iceland held Argentina to a 1-1 in the first Group D match of the competition.

It all began well for the Argentines with Sergio Aguero firing in the opening goal.

But Iceland levelled only four minutes later as Alfred Finnbogason’s volley prodded into an empty net following a defensive mix-up.

Lionel Messi failed to restore his team’s lead when his 64th-minute spot-kick was palmed away by Hannes Halldorsson.

The result leaves both teams with one point each ahead of the second Group D fixture between Nigeria and Croatia. With the group favourites dropping points against the least fancied side, both teams will be going for it the Kaliningrad Stadium.

A win for either Nigeria or Croatia, will ensure early leadership of the group.

For the Europeans especially, they need to get something from the game, as they play Argentina. In the famous words of Thierry Henry, “you don’t want to play against an angry Lionel Messi”. The Barcelona superstar would not be in forgiving mood, when they come up against the Croats.

However, for the Super Eagles, this is a chance to make a big statement in the group. With their second fixture against Iceland, Gernot Rohr’s men could file out for their last group game against Argentina already qualified or needing a point to progress.