No mercy for Messi: Nigeria coach

Brazil fans mocked Lionel Messi and celebrated Argentina’s defeat as they were singing `Messi Ciao’ (Goodbye Messi) in St. Petersburg on Thursday night. The Selecao fans parodied the famous Spanish song Bella Ciao (O darling goodbye).

The fans are always interested about how their rivals are doing in tournaments like Copa America and the World Cup.

Lionel Messi cut a lonely figure as Argentina fell to a demoralising 3-0 defeat at the hands of Croatia at which has left their qualification hopes hanging by a thread.

Both Brazil and Argentina drew their opening games at the 2018 World Cup. Brazilians however found something to celebrate as they mocked Argentina’s star player.

France midfielder Paul Pogba said the finals in Russia might be his last World Cup but he hopes he will be fit for more.

"It might be my last World Cup," the Manchester United player, 25, told a news conference ahead of Tuesday's Group C final game against Denmark.

France have already qualified for the last 16 and will secure top spot if they avoid defeat.

"I'm realistic, we don't know if I'll be called up, maybe other players will be better than me," added Pogba.

"I hope I'll play more. I've already had the chance to play two, some can only dream to play one."

Diego Maradona has requested a meeting with Argentina's players in an attempt to inspire the struggling squad ahead of their crucial final World Cup group game against Nigeria.

The two-time world champions must beat Nigeria in Saint Petersburg on Tuesday if they are to avoid a premature exit following a disastrous 3-0 defeat by Croatia.

He said he would bring along other Argentina greats of the past for the motivational talk.

"I would love to hold a meeting with them, with (Nery) Pumpido, with (Sergio) Goycochea, with (Claudio) Caniggia, with (Pedro) Troglio, even with (Daniel) Passarella if he wants to come, and with (Jorge) Valdano," Maradona told Venezuelan TV channel Telesur.

"We're going to defend our honour, boys. It cost us too much to be where we are for Croatia to come and hit us for three goals and to leave with our arms crossed without anyone putting a foot in."

Maradona, who has criticised coach Jorge Sampaoli and striker Sergio Aguero in recent days, also took aim at Argentina Football Association (AFA) president Claudio Tapia in his latest outburst.

"I'm furious and very upset inside, because anyone who wore that (Argentina) shirt can't see it being trampled like that by a Croatian team that isn't Germany, that isn't Brazil, that isn't Holland or Spain," he said.

"But there is a guilty party and the culprit is the president of the AFA. Everyone just accepted it when Sampaoli came in with computers, with drones, with 14 assistants.

"I think there is a total lack of authority on Tapia's part."

Javier Mascherano, one of the squad's senior players, denied on Sunday that there was a rift between Sampaoli and the players.

It was the morning after the night before for Argentinian fans in Nizhny Novgorod on Friday and the recriminations from the devastating Croatia defeat just hours earlier were well underway.

The realisation that the 3-0 thumping by Croatia -- complete with comedy first goal -- had left the mighty two-time winners on the verge of a humiliating exit, left some of their fans in tears.

On Friday, many remained stunned by what had happened.

"We can't sleep, we can't talk, we can't do anything," said Sebastian, a 34-year-old lawyer who had travelled to Russia from Rosario.

"We've never seen anything like last night."

The team, he said, had shown no "huevos", using the Spanish slang for testicles.

Susi, a grandmother from Buenos Aires who spent an eye-watering $40,000 taking her son and grandson to Russia, said the result was so bad it could have implications for Argentina's president, Mauricio Macri, as he battles economic problems at home.

"If Argentina loses, it can become a social problem," she said.

The defeat was arguably the most shocking result of the tournament so far.

A team thought among the favourites for the World Cup, with superstar Lionel Messi as captain, were not expected to struggle through the first stage.

They certainly weren't expected to play so badly.

The result was Argentina's worst at a World Cup since being dismantled by Johan Cruyff's "Total Football" Dutch side 4-0 on a thundery night in West Germany back in 1974.

Nor were Argentina meant to rely on the results of Iceland or Nigeria just to remain in Russia.

With one point from two games, their fans were desperate for Nigeria to beat Iceland in Friday's game to retain hope of qualifying for the knockout stage.

"Today, all my country is Nigerian," joked Nicolas, 41, a company owner from Buenos Aires.

Fans of the "Albiceleste" could be spotted all around Nizhny on Friday.

Some were walking round town in kit, others with "Lio" shaved into their hair, and those draped in the country's flag, like Santiago, a student from the south of Argentina, as he prepared to head to Saint Petersburg for Argentina's crucial final Group D match on June 26.

Who was to blame? The embattled coach Jorge Sampaoli or the curiously listless players who have failed to produce, including the great Messi?

"I believe that the coach is not sure what he wants, or he is unable to pass this onto the players," said Santiago.

"But they also have to play, after all they are professionals."

- Down, but not out -

Despair though had turned to hope in the cold light of day, or at least the first signs that all was not lost

Cousins Juan and Valentino from Cordoba were about to embark on a 20-hour journey by train and plane via Moscow, Rome, Madrid and Buenos Aires to go home.

Their Russian odyssey was over but maybe not their team's.

Valentino complained that the Argentinian public and media put too much pressure on the side.

"The people think that the only way is to win the World Cup, they don't consider it a probability to lose," said Valentino, a 19-year-old student.

Juan called for as many as five changes in the team for the Nigeria game.

"We have a potential chance, it's time to support the team," said the 37-year-old accountant hopefully.

"We were in the same situation as we are now (when qualifying for the World Cup).

"We did it one time, so we can do it again."

What a shocker it was! No football buff, I believe, saw this coming. Argentina, the powerhouse of world football, are on the brink of elimination this early from the World Cup in Russia.

A 3-0 thrashing at the hands of Croatia numbed the Albiceleste fans, who were rightly expecting the two-time world champions to regroup after the 1-1 draw against World Cup rookies Iceland and hit the right groove.

But the way they played was total rubbish, as our finance minister Abul Maal Muhith would have loved to sum up in disdain. Soon after the humiliation, social media and regular media were abuzz with cries and criticisms, wondering what had gone wrong with Jorge Sampaoli's men.

The scale of fury and frustration has gone up to an unbelievable extent, so much so that 'Don't cry for me, Argentina', the hit song of 1976 in the film Evita, returns to encapsulate the expressions of fans and media alike.

Right from the whistle go, Argentina, studded with superstar and stars, seemed like 11 cats on a hot tin roof. The famed footballers seemingly treated Telstar, the high-tech official football for the tournament, as a ball of fire. Too desperate to dispatch the ball the moment one received it. Defenders exchanged short passes too close to their ball-chasing opponents and went on to lose control of the ball several times in the opening half, drawing groans and grunts from the stands and from millions watching across the globe.

It was too dangerous and absolutely unnecessary. And Argentina paid the first price through their nose because of this madness. Following some short-pass exchanges, goalkeeper Willy Caballero scooped up the ball from deep inside the box for Croatian winger Ante Rebic to hit home perfectly. It was a gift to Croatia from a goof of a goalkeeper. And, for decades to come, it will be seen as one of the ugliest goals ever scored off a blunder.

A crucial match it certainly was. And Argentina could not cope with this pressure. They started off the game with pressure plastered all over their faces. They appeared too tense to think clearly and build a planned attack. The match required cool customers, from coach to keeper. Coach Sampaoli himself demonstrated the unwanted image of impatience. Tensed, Sampaoli was seen stomping around in front of the bench, throwing his hands, grumbling, gesturing, taking his jacket off and what not. This overly tensed image of a manager played a part in pushing his charges over the edge! As it happens in such matches, a staggering 38 fouls were committed, 16 of them by Argentina.

With Argentina being a bundle of raw nerves, Croatia could take total control of the match gradually. Luka Modric showed his opposite number Lionel Messi how a No 10 was supposed to play by hammering in a pile-driver after twisting and turning through a few defenders. Ivan Rakitic made it 3-0 some time after his magnificent free-kick ricocheted off the far post.

So, should Argentine daggers be out for Messi, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner and arguably the greatest player on earth? It will be very unfair.

Argentina is more than Messi. In fact, all the glittering stars of leading clubs make Argentina. Javier Mashcherano, Sergio Aguero, Enzo Perez, Eduardo Salvio, Gonzalo Higuain, Angel di Maria, Paulo Dybala and so on. Together, they should have formed a team of Invincibles.

Unfortunately, Sampaoli, like his predecessors, failed to mould his players into a team. They played like listless individuals and without any objective. They were eleven players but still not a team. Here the role of a coach becomes so crucial. Sampaoli failed to play that role. He also appears not to be a good tactician.

Argentina didn't have a game plan. If they had one, they forgot about it as soon as they entered the field. They played like disjointed pieces of a machine. Defence was delinked from midfield and midfield oblivious of its forwards. The supply from midfield to Messi or other forwards was almost nil. Argentina was designed to fail.

Croatia advance to the round of 16, and Argentina hope against hope for a miracle in Group D to qualify as the other team. And if that does not happen, the World Cup would be less exciting without Messi.

The writer is former Sports Editor of The Daily Star