Messi at the double as Argentina, Nigeria qualify

 Ulli Bruenger, dpa 

Two goals from Lionel Messi and one from Marcos Rojo saw Argentina beat Nigeria 3-2 to qualify at the top of Group F.

The battling Super Eagles also went through to the Round of 16 after Iran were defeated 3-1 by Bosnia in the group's other game in Salvador.

"We must remain calm. We are all chasing the same dream," said Messi, who is now the tournament's top scorer alongside Brazil's Neymar on four goals.

"We are still searching for that dream we all want. We saw a good Argentina, even though we need to improve."

Nigeria coach Stephen Keshi hailed Messi as the difference between the two sides.

"Messi is one heck of a player. You can't take that away from him. He's blessed," he said.

"I think there are other players in the Argentina squad who are very strong, but Messi is from jupiter.

"We gave too much respect to the Argentines and did not play our game in the first half. We played a bit more aggressive in the second half. Congratulations to the Argentina team, I wish them all the best in the tournament."

Argentina got off to a flying start in the Estadio Beira-Rio, taking the lead in only the third minute, when Messi fired home following a rebound off the Nigerian post.

A minute later though, Nigeria were level, Ahmed Musa racing upfield and finding the net with an angled shot.

Messi got his second from a glorious free-kick on the stroke of half time to make it 2-1, but two minutes after the break Musa got his second to equalize again for Nigeria.

Argentina quickly responded on 50 minutes when Marcos Rojo forced the ball home with his knee from a corner for the winner to make it 3-2.

Argentina topped the group undefeated with nine points, while Nigeria were second with four. Bosnia scooped three points and the Iranians ended on just one.

Some 40,000 boisterous Argentina fans were packed inside the stadium as the game kicked off, with the Nigerian fans also making plenty of din.

The two quick goals in the first few minutes seemed to settle things down as the two sides probed each other's defences.

On eight minutes, Gonzalo Higuain shot wide from close-range while under challenge from Nigeria goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama. But the Argentinian striker should nevertheless have done better.

Argentina continued to press, with Messi and Higuain seeing plenty of the ball to little effect, while Angel Di Maria pulled a shot wide from the edge of the Nigerian box and at the other end other end, Peter Odemwingie fired over high and wide.

Di Maria tried his luck from 30 metres, bringing out a fine diving save from Enyeama, and a fierce shot from Sergio Aguero inside the box hit Juwon Oshaniwa and fizzed out for a corner.

Ezequiel Lavezzi replaced Aguero, who pulled a muscle, but it was Messi who continued to be the danger, bringing out a diving save from the Nigeria keeper from a 25-metre free-kick.

Minutes later Messi got the better of the keeper with another free-kick on the stroke of half-time, curled over the wall into the net.

The Nigerians came stormming out in the second half, and on 47 minutes Musa forced his way through the Argentine defence to latch onto a through ball and shoot home from near the penalty spot for his second goal of the game.

But Argentina retook the lead in the 50th minute with the ball going in off Argentine defender Marcos Rojo after a corner was swung in from the left to make it 3-2.

"We played a good game, beyond the goals that we conceded," Argentina coach Alejandro Sabella said.

"We have a very offensive team and Nigeria is a team that will unfold very fast, uninhibited, and these (goals against) are things that can happen.

"We created a lot of chances. Hopefully now we go on improving."