It looked bleak for Argentina. With the end of the match approaching, a 0-0 tie looked inevitable. A tie would’ve left Argentina’s second-round fate in limbo.
But stars align, sometimes. In the first minute of extra time, in the 90th minute, Messi, one of the best footy players in the world, took the ball from around 16 feet away and soared the ball past the Iranian goalie’s dive. The goal gave Argentina a 1-0 lead with two minutes left in the game, and despite Iran’s late push the Middle Eastern squad couldn’t pull off the tying goal.
Video of Messi’s goal is already appearing on video-sharing sites such as YouTube.
This clip of the goal seems to have been shot from someone at the stadium in Brazil:
With six points, Argentina automatically advances. The fate of Iran remains to be seen, as next week’s games decide this Group’s second-place qualifier.
Later today, Germany takes on Ghana, and at 6pm ET Nigeria faces off against Bosnia & Herzegovina.
