Lionel Messi has been one of the highlights of the World Cup so far. Yet the modest Argentina forward says his teammates deserve much of the credit for the team’s opening win.
Messi’s dazzling display helped Argentina defeat Nigeria 1-0, but the Barcelona playmaker said “this team doesn’t just depend on me.” He tormented the Nigerians, but Argentina couldn’t extend an early lead. Messi was repeatedly thwarted by Nigerian goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama. Messi said that “I depend on the midfield to bring me the ball, and they were able to do that yesterday – and so I was able to capitalize.”The goalkeeper was a phenomenon. The important thing is we created chances. We are playing well and the result was perfect for us. We are happy,” said Messi.
Team-mate Jonas Gutierrez echoed the 23-year-old’s sentiments, stating that they worked hard to earn the three points and head into the game against South Korea on a high. “It was a very good game, a very hard game. We didn’t score the second goal which made it harder for us but I think the national team of Argentina did a good job,” he said. “It was a little worrying that we couldn’t score a second but Nigeria made it a little difficult for us. More importantly I feel that we played well. We have gained confidence from these three points, now we are focusing on the second game. “Nigeria have a very good team with very good players so it wasn’t a surprise to see how strong they were.”
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