Iran held Argentina scoreless for the first 90 minutes of its 2014 FIFA World Cup matchup Saturday and almost completed an upset draw.
Almost.
Lionel Messi saved Argentina by curling a long shot for a goal in the first minute of stoppage time. The 1-0 win guarantees Argentina a place in the knockout stage.
The game was more evenly matched than anyone would have expected. Iran’s defense held Argentina down, handling some of the world’s greatest players. Each team had its scoring chances, but neither goalkeeper — Argentina’s Sergio Romero and Iran’s Alireza Haghighi — was letting anything into the net.
In fact, Iran had the best scoring chance in the 67th minute, when midfielder Ashkan Dejagah sent a header that absolutely would have gone in the net had Romero not deflected it with his fingertips, pushing it mere inches over the goal.
Have a soccer question? Send it to us via Twitter at @NESNsoccer, NESN Soccer’s Facebook page or send it here.
