Argentina vs Iran: Argentina owe it all to Lionel Messi

Happy ending: Lionel Messi is jubilant and relieved as he scores the goal in Belo Horizonte yesterday that put Argentina into the knockout stages (EPA)

Argentina manager Alex Sabella declared last night “when you have Messi anything is possible” after the striker scored a last-minute winner to kill off one of the great underdog performances in World Cup history from Iran.

Carlos Queiroz, Iran’s manager, said he had wanted to win the game and claimed he was denied a penalty when Pablo Zabaleta tackled Reza Ghoochannejad, who was through on goal at the end.

“They got the result because they scored and it came from one of the best personalities,” said Queiroz. “It was a brilliant striker. The second personality was the referee because there was a clear penalty and in a game like this the small details make a difference. I’m very happy for my players but I am disappointed.

“You put strikers on the pitch because I wanted to win the match. My wish was to win the game. We needed to win the game. But when Messi is on the pitch he can change the game in a moment. If we had had the penalty, it would not have been so easy for him.”