Nigeria vs. Argentina: Final Player Ratings
Ahmed Musa and Marcos Rojo traded goals shortly after the restart as Argentina edged Nigeria 3-2 in Porto Alegre.
Lionel Messi opened the scoring in this Group F encounter, and while Musa restored level terms less than 60 seconds later the Argentina captain put his side back in front with a free kick late in the first half.
Following are ratings and analysis for both sets of players.
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| Player | Half-Time | Full-Time |
| Enyeama | 6 | 6 |
| Ambrose | 6 | 5 |
| Yobo | 5 | 6 |
| Omeruo | 6 | 6 |
| Oshaniwa | 6 | 6 |
| Mikel | 5 | 6 |
| Onazi | 5 | 7 |
| Babatunde | 6 | 6 |
| Musa | 8 | 9 |
| Odemwingie | 5 | 5 |
| Emenike | 7 | 7 |
| Uchebo | N/A | 6 |
| Nwofor | N/A | 5 |
Half-Time analysis for Nigeria
Vincent Enyeama: Stopped one Messi free kick but was helpless on the next one.
Efe Ambrose: Breaking at speed but needs to better combine with Odemwingie.
Joseph Yobo: Making his 100th appearance for Argentina today.
Kenneth Omeruo: The Chelsea man’s first pass has tended to be a good one.
Juwon Oshaniwa: Linking up nicely with Musa.
John Obi Mikel: A generally poor first half from the midfield general.
Ogenyi Onazi: Getting turned, and turned often.
Michel Babatunde: Passed the ball to Musa to set up the equaliser.
Ahmed Musa: The 21-year-old finished emphatically to temporarily level the scoreline.
Peter Odemwingie: A hero against Bosnia-Herzegovina, he has so far been a ghost against Argentina.
Emmanuel Emenike: Causing the Argentina defense a few problems with his speed.
Full-Time analysis for Nigeria
Vincent Enyeama: Made an excellent save on Di Maria late in the second half.
Efe Ambrose: Outplayed by Rojo after the restart.
Joseph Yobo: Not the quickest defender in the world, and it showed today.
Kenneth Omeruo: Chelsea have a real gem in the 20-year-old centre-back.
Juwon Oshaniwa: His combinations with Musa overwhelmed Zabaleta at times.
John Obi Mikel: Enjoyed a much better second half.
Ogenyi Onazi: Improved after the restart and took three shots while contributing four tackles on the defensive side of the ball.
Michel Babatunde: Faded in the second half and was replaced by Uchebo.
Ahmed Musa: He scored twice and was a consistent threat of goal.
Peter Odemwingie: Perhaps his display against Bosnia-Herzegovina was a one-off.
Emmanuel Emenike: Picked up an assist on Musa’s second.
Michael Uchebo: Completed 89 percent of his passes after replacing Babatunde.
Uche Nwofor: Touched the ball just seven times after coming on for the last 10 minutes.
| Player | Half-Time | Full-Time |
| Romero | 5 | 5 |
| Zabaleta | 5 | 5 |
| Garay | 6 | 6 |
| Fernandez | 6 | 6 |
| Rojo | 6 | 7 |
| Mascherano | 7 | 7 |
| Gago | 7 | 6 |
| Di Maria | 8 | 7 |
| Messi | 10 | 10 |
| Aguero | 5 | 5 |
| Higuain | 5 | 5 |
| Lavezzi | 5 | 6 |
| Alvarez | N/A | 6 |
| Biglia | N/A | 5 |
Half-Time analysis for Argentina
Sergio Romero: Faced only one shot in the first half—the Musa goal.
Pablo Zabaleta: Could have done better to close down Musa.
Ezequiel Garay: Has so far completed all of his passes out of defense.
Federico Fernandez: Has won all of his aerial battles.
Marcos Rojo: Being kept in check by Ambrose.
Javier Mascherano: An early knock looked worrying but he was able to continue.
Fernando Gago: The Boca Juniors man touched the ball 50 times in the first half.
Angel Di Maria: Took the shot that led to Messi’s opener.
Lionel Messi: A third-minute opener and a late go-ahead goal for the captain.
Sergio Aguero: Clearly unfit, he was withdrawn through injury.
Gonzalo Higuain: Has so far taken just a single shot.
Lavezzi: Replaced Aguero in the 38th minute.
Full-Time analysis for Argentina
Sergio Romero: Well-beaten on both Musa goals and had made only a single save on the afternoon.
Pablo Zabaleta: Didn’t exactly shine opposite the excellent Musa.
Ezequiel Garay: Completed an exceptional 96 percent of his passes.
Federico Fernandez: Won everything in the air and consistently played a good first pass to the midfield.
Marcos Rojo: Scored his first international goal, and it proved the winner.
Javier Mascherano: Contributed an eye-popping seven tackles.
Fernando Gago: Moved the ball nicely although his lack of pace was exposed at times.
Angel Di Maria: Much as he tried, he just couldn’t buy a goal.
Lionel Messi: Withdrawn for a much-deserved rest in the 63rd minute.
Sergio Aguero: Clearly unfit, he was withdrawn through injury.
Gonzalo Higuain: Took just two shots and contributed very little.
Lavezzi: Was more involved than Higuain but managed only a single shot.
Ricardo Alvarez: The 26-year-old was the man to come on for Messi.
Lucas Biglia: Touched the ball just twice in a late cameo.
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