The first two matches on Tuesday were not very exciting as France and Denmark had a goalless draw to protect their round-of-16 spots and Australia did not come to play. The next two games, however, nearly gave me a heart attack because it was down to the wire for Lionel Messi's survival in the World Cup. Holy sh*t is all I can say about the Argentina match.
Here's the best of the World Cup social media action from Tuesday.
Diego Maradona is having himself one hell of a World Cup. And you know what? It might be just what Argentina needs.
Maradona lived and died with La Albiceleste on Tuesday. Facing elimination, Argentina survived with a 2-1 win over Nigeria thanks to an unlikely savior, though the scapegoat was the same as usual. It was just enough to see Argentina advance in second place in Group D, well behind Croatia, which put Iceland away 2-1.
With Croatia having all but clinched first place in Group D ahead of its match against Iceland, manager Zlatko Dalic elected to make nine changes to his starting XI. For most teams there would be a notable dropoff, but this Croatia midfield has an aura of invincibility heading into the knockout stages.
An almost evil Peru fan almost became the most despised man at the World Cup as he nearly stole a shirt that was being given to a young fan by Tim Cahill, the Socceroos striker.
The 38-year-old Cahill, appearing in what is almost certainly his final World Cup, walked over to a group of young fans and was just about to give them his shirt.
The game’s an original drama unlike any other, but for 40 minutes of Argentina versus Nigeria at Saint Petersburg Stadium, this felt like a rerun. There was Javier Mascherano, bloodied, stretching every sinew as the side’s aging lynchpin and guilty of doing too much.
For the entirety of 38 games at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, you could do whatever the hell you pleased at corner kicks. Use Pepe as a battering ram to create some space for Ronaldo? Sure. Tackle Harry Kane to the ground with two players? Why not. Shove Miranda in the back to snatch a Swiss equalizer? That sounds wild, but we’ll definitely allow it.
After watching first Lucas Biglia and then Enzo Perez do little except play balls into places where things go to die, it’s looking like Argentina’s riding Ever Banega next to Javier Mascherano from here on out (which still might not be very long whatsoever). Regardless, my God was it nice to see a ball from the Argentina midfield that wasn’t first coated in the feces of a leaky Mascherano anus.
With Argentina’s back up against the wall in a must-win match to close out Group D, Lionel Messi finally showed up. The Messi goal vs Nigeria put La Albiceleste on top 14 minutes into the game and the reaction from Diego Maradona was priceless.
Messi, who is trying to pass Maradona as Argentina’s all-time greatest player with a World Cup title, made a great run spotted by midfielder Ever Banega. The lofted through ball, the first touch and the finish were all sublime for the Messi goal vs Nigeria.
World Cup final viewers surpassed the one billion mark for Germany's 1-0 win against Argentina in 2014. That made the World Cup final the most-watched sporting event in history, and it should break its own viewership record this year.
Although the Olympics slightly outpaces the World Cup in terms of overall viewership, no single game or match can stack up against World Cup Final viewers.
England vs Belgium kicks off Thursday, June 28, at 2:00 p.m. ET on FOX and Telemundo, with the winner taking top spot in Group G. With both nations sitting on six points and with a goal difference of +6, it’s possible a draw could see FIFA fair-play points determine who wins the group. (England currently has one less yellow card than Belgium.)