27 June,2014 08:30 AM IST | | PA Sport
Lionel Messi believes Argentina are getting better and better after a 3-2 win over Nigeria guaranteed their place in the last 16 as group winners on Wednesday
Lionel Messi celebrates after scoring against Nigeria. Pic/Getty Images
Porto Alegre: Lionel Messi believes Argentina are getting better and better after a 3-2 win over Nigeria guaranteed their place in the last 16 as group winners on Wednesday.
Lionel Messi celebrates after scoring against Nigeria. Pic/Getty Images
Messi scored twice, including a superb free-kick, but a double from Nigeria's Ahmed Musa meant Marcos Rojo needed to score a third in the second half to earn maximum points.
Argentina were underwhelming in the their opening victories over Bosnia-Herzegovina and Iran but Messi, who is now joint top-scorer with four goals, believes the team are growing into the tournament. "We were better in this game, regardless of the goals we conceded," Messi told FIFA's official website.
'Much improved show'
"We were more threatening today, found the spaces to exploit and had more chances to score. But we still want more. The good thing is we improved and it's a wonderful experience with the people here. We're all still chasing a shared dream."
Argentina had already qualified for the knock-out stages before kick-off against Nigeria but finishing top of Group F means Alejandro Sabella's side will almost certainly avoid in-form France in the next round.
"We'd already qualified for the next round but it's good to have finished top of the group, that's what we were aiming for," Sabella said.
"We improved, were more mobile, passed the ball better and were quicker. We were better at changing the tempo of the game too, improved our interplay and had a lot of chances."
