Nigeria through on Day 14 of World Cup

Africa have a foot in the round of 16 in the 2014 Fifa World Cup, in the form of Nigeria.

This was because Argentina, Nigeria, Switzerland and France advanced while Iran, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Honduras and Ecuador played their last matches on day 14 of the world cup, 25 June.

Nigeria will play France and Argentina will play Switzerland in the round of 16.

First Argentina beat Nigeria 3–2 in a group F match.

Messi opened scoring for Argentina, finishing from 12m after teammate Di Maria’s shot was blocked by Nigeria keeper Enyeama in the third minute.

Musa retaliated for Nigeria, curling a shot in near the right post in the fourth minute.

Messi put Argentina ahead again, firing a free-kick over the wall into goal in the first half’s injury time.

Musa equalised again for Nigeria after shooting low and hard into the left of the goal after finding himself one-on-one with Argentina keeper Romero in the 47th minute.

Rojo won the match for Argentina, deflecting a corner in with his knee in the 50th minute.

Bosnia and Herzegovina then beat Iran 3–1 in group F.

Džeko first scored for the Europeans, shooting low and hard into the right corner of goal in the 23rd minute.

Pjanić doubled the lead after Iran’s Hosseini gave the ball away in his own half in the 59th minute.

Ghoochannejad scored for Iran shooting in, unmarked, from a cross in the 82nd minute.

But Vršajević won the match for the Europeans, shooting powerfully after his run put him in a scoring position in the 83rd minute.

Switzerland beat Honduras 3–0 in group E.

Xherdan Shaqiri, the Switzerland’s star midfielder, scored a hat-trick.

He curled a shot in from 25m in the sixth minute, finished well after a Drmić pass in the 31st minute and was unrushed in his finish past Honduras keeper Valladares in the 71st minute.

Ecuador and France then drew 0–0 in group E.

France won 60 per cent possession and made far more chances than Ecuador (20 shots versus Ecuador’s  11, and 13 shots on goal versus the South Americans’ seven).

Ecuador keeper Alexander Dominguez was awarded man of the match for his nine saves.

Ecuador’s captain Antonio Valencia (not to be confused with teammate Enner Valencia) was given a straight red card for a tackle on Digne in the 50th minute.

It was also reported that Fifa’s ruling on an investigation on Luiz Suárez’s bite on Chiellini will be heard today.

Spokesperson for Randburg Football Club Marlon Abrahams said that in his personal view Argentina is the second most likely team to win the world cup.

He cited Argentina’s geographical proximity to Brazil, them being Brazil’s traditional rivals and the Messi factor as reasons for this.

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Read day 13’s action here.