Both Argentina and Nigeria have earned their places in the last 16 of the World Cup finals in Brazil after two goals from Lionel Messi helped the South American outfit prevail in Porto Alegre.

Below, Sports Mole assesses how each player performed for their respective sides in the Group F fixture.

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NIGERIA

Goal

Vincent Enyeama: Made a few decent stops but could have possibly done better to try to keep out Messi's free kick. (7/10)

Defence

Efe Ambrose: Strong showing from the Celtic defender, who nearly provided his team with their third equaliser of the match in the closing stages. (7/10)

Joseph Yobo: Attempted to lead from the front in his 100th appearance for the Super Eagles. His lack of pace was exposed by Messi and Lavezzi. (7/10)

Kenneth Omeruo: The Chelsea defender continues to prove that he can compete at the highest level. Could potentially earn himself a place in Jose Mourinho's squad next season. (7/10)

Juwon Oshaniwa: Solid enough showing but lucky to remain on the pitch after a couple of meaty challenges. (6/10)

Midfield

John Obi Mikel: Plays an important role for his country and he didn't disappoint here. Could have done better with one opening in the second half. (7/10)

Ogenyi Onazi: Complemented Mikel well, but didn't do enough to make a significant impact on the match. (6/10)

Michel Babatunde: Has done well to earn his place in the side, but faces missing the rest of the tournament after suffering what appeared to be a broken arm. (6/10)

Ahmed Musa: Stunned Argentina with an excellent individual goal in the fourth minute before adding his second shortly after half time. Denied a third by a last-ditch Zabaleta tackle. (8/10)

Peter Odemwingie: Quiet follow-up after his goal against Bosnia. Blazed one first-half shot into the stands. (6/10)

Attack

Emmanuel Emenike: Worked tirelessly for his side to try to create space for his teammates. Never looked like scoring, but contributed in the final third. (7/10)

Substitutes

Michael Uchebo: The tall forward entered with just under 30 minutes remaining, but failed to make any sort of impact. (6/10)

Uche Nwofor: Introduced late on, but couldn't contribute anything as his team pushed for an equaliser. (6/10)

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ARGENTINA

Goal

Sergio Romero: Didn't have his greatest game in goal for his country but could do nothing about either of Musa's goals. (6/10)

Defence

Pablo Zabaleta: The Manchester City defence wasn't at his best against Iran, but he returned to form with a tenacious performance on the right-hand side. (7/10)

Federico Fernandez: Like Zabaleta, the centre-back was poor at the weekend, but this was his best performance of the group. Will require the same kind of commitment in Argentina's upcoming matches. (7/10)

Ezequiel Garay: Played a supportive role to his younger teammate, but did enough to ensure that Argentina hung on for the win. (6/10)

Marcos Rojo: The left-back offers his team plenty of options down the flank. Deserved his goal, which came via his knee after making a connection from a corner. (7/10)

Midfield

Javier Mascherano: Relished his battle against Mikel and Onazi. Never ducked out of any challenge throughout the 90 minutes. (7/10)

Fernando Gago: The Boca Juniors man isn't enjoying the best of times in Brazil, but as long as he remains part of a winning formula, he is likely to retain his place. (6/10)

Angel di Maria: The left-footed midfielder has enjoyed a superb tournament so far, and this continued against Nigeria. Always available to provide an outlet for his side. (8/10)

Attack

Lionel Messi: What more can you say about the 27-year-old? Ran the game during his 62 minutes on the pitch and capped his performance with a sublime free kick. (9/10)

Sergio Aguero: Produced his best 30 minutes of the tournament before suffering an injury before half time. (6/10)

Gonzalo Higuain: Missed a couple of opportunities, but worked hard for his side. Likely to have done enough to remain in the team. (7/10)

Substitutes

Ezequiel Lavezzi: Took his opportunity after replacing Aguero before the break. Troubled Nigeria with his pace and power down the left, and was unfortunate not to get on the scoresheet. (8/10)

Ricardo Alvarez: Lively 28 minutes from the Inter Milan midfielder. Produced a few nice touches in dangerous areas. (7/10)

Lucas Biglia: No time to make an impact. (5/10)

Written by
Darren Plant