ARGENTINA 2-1 BOSNIA/HERZEGOVINA
EDIT: Skipping Standings Update as only Group E completed a round today and it's straightforward. Full update of Groups E-G tomorrow night.
Not the final result they were looking for but it was still an impressive World Cup debut for Bosnia against the 2-time champions.
It was a disastrous start for the newcomers though as a Lionel Messi free kick in the 3rd minute tipped off Marcos Rojo in the area and bounced off of Sead Kolasinac and in. A tough break for Bosnia and Kolasinac who had almost no time to react and get out of the way of the ball sailing through the area.
Bosnia looked shell-shocked for the next 10 minutes and it appeared the game might develop in to a blowout rather then the close match people were expecting. Bosnia managed to settle in though and bring the game under control.
The teams traded possession and wasted chances until the 41st when Bosnia nearly equalized. Senad Lulic got on the end of a corner kick and directed beautifully towards the bottom corner. It was only denied by a fantastic diving save from Romero based solely on reaction and reflex. Izet Hajrovic's long bouncing followup strike was smartly collected by Romero.
Interesting tactical change as Argentina went from a more defensive 2-3-5 to a 4-3-3 at halftime despite their 1-0 lead. All Bosnia in the second half until Lionel Messi finally broke free in the 65th and after completely turning around the Bosnian defence he fired a low curler off the post and in to double the Argentine lead.
Bosnia made 3 defence for offence substitutions and gambled by leaving themselves exposed at the back with 4 strikers. A dangerous strategy that nearly backfired but it ultimately paid off in the 85th when Vedad Ibisevic caught up to a long through ball and slipped the ball between Romero's legs to halve the lead. Bosnia wouldn't get another shot on goal though.
Goals
Argentina: Sead Kolasinac (OG 3'), Lionel Messi (65')
Bosnia: Vedad Ibisevic (85')
Discipline
Argentina: Marcos Rojo (Yellow 25')
Bosnia: Emir Spahic (Yellow 63')
Man of the Match
Lionel Messi brought the Maracana crowd to its feet with his stunning run and goal from outside the penalty area that turned out to be the winning goal. Messi's presence impacted the game all over the field and constantly drew defenders towards him and opened up opportunity for his teammates to get towards the Bosnian goal.
Key Moment
Up 1-0 on the early own goal, Bosnia were gaining in momentum and looked poised to potentially tie the game. Then Lionel Messi came bursting through the centre of the field, went right around Ermin Bicakcic and then curled a left-footed shot off the inside of the post and in to give Argentina a 2-0 lead and put the game out of reach.
What we learned from Argentina
Tough to tell if they were off their game in the offensive zone or if Bosnia just committed itself to playing solid defence in this one. They didn't get a ton of shots on goal and Aguero in particular had an awful game up front alongside Messi. Strong defensively both in the 2-3-5 and 4-3-3 formations and other then the goal that squeaked between his legs, it was a consistent performance from Romero in goal. Too much firepower offensively to repeat tonight's struggles.
What we learned from Bosnia
Better defensively then they get credit for, they routinely turned away Argentina's attacks and turned them in to counters. Freak goal on the first one and Messi's brilliance on the second and not much that can be done about that. Thought Dzeko was very disappointing up front but they moved the ball well through the midfield for the most part. Too many wasted shots from distance though that could have been used better.
Going Forward
This was the real Group F test for Argentina and they weren't perfect but got the victory. They shouldn't face another big challenge until the knockout round. Bosnia would have preferred at least a point but their performance tonight should be good enough for victories in their next 2 group games. Need to avoid a letdown though as they have a lot of momentum to build off of right now.
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