Messi and Romero saved Argentinas blushes.

Messi scored in stoppage time, and that was more than enough. The extreme bend on
the ball, a perfect hit that curled straight into the corner of Haghighi's goal, saw Argentina
scrape through to claim victory. Yet Sabellas side will need to make some changes to
avoid patience running thin and the Argentinian coach was bereft of any type of resolve
to pull his team beyond Queirozsstubborn defensive line. Iran were a sensation,
Argentina pitiful, even with Diego Maradona overseeing events from the stands.
It took a last-gasp winner to prove that nobody could quite deny Messis persistence.
In Higuanand Kun he had two allies but little more as they failed to link up
effectively. Agero was mobile, but that was about it, and the former Madrid striker failed
to really click with his team-mates. As the minutes ticked away disaster loomed, with the
suited and booted Sabella failing to move a muscle, cutting a desperate figure as he
saw Gago and Mascherano forced to move the ball out to the left time and again to
bypass the central 'no-go' area. The boldness of left-back Rojo and Di Marassignature
play threatened at times but ultimately came up short against Irans increasingly
stubborn defensive wall.
As time moved on Nekounam and Co. took hold of the midfield and the script started to
be scratched out and rewritten - of course, to the despair of the Latin American outfit as
they struggled to find a way past Haghighi, who made some of the saves of the
tournament so far.
That said, if the Iran keeper grew, the heavily criticised Sergio Romero began to silence
some of his doubters with three fine reflex saves in the Argentina goal. The minutes
began to zip by as Messi had to drop deeper and deeper to collect the ball. But the road
remained blocked and they started to miss the kind of patience that brings glory; Messi
would never say so, but with Argentina surely he misses a player like the cold-blooded
Xavi, a cool head that knows how to read the game like no other and execute that killer
pass a second before anyone has even seen it. Tonight Messi once again proved
himself, and his strike in stoppage time was effective and spectacular in equal measure.
Argentina finally came out winners but doubts, lots of doubts, remain.