Argentina 0 Iran 0: Player ratings as Lionel Messi nets winner

Argentina

Sergio Romero Monaco keeper enjoyed largely comfortable afternoon. Did well to keep out headers from Ghoochannejhad and Dejagah. 6/10

Pablo Zabaleta Provided a useful outlet for his side but final delivery wasn’t up to his high standards. Lucky not to give away penalty for clumsy challenge. 5

Federico Fernandez Showed strength to win ball back on regular occasions for his team. Looked dangerous in opposition penalty area. 6

Ezequiel Garay Solid performance from Benfica centre-back as stood firm against barrage of set pieces. 6

Marcos Rojo Useful at both ends of pitch with comfortable defensive display and willingness to get forward. 7

Fernando Gago Always looking to start forward-thinking movements from his own half. 6

Javier Mascherano Typical performance from Barcelona midfielder as he acted as further line of defence. 5

Angel Di Maria Never afraid to go beyond his frontline with surging runs from midfield. Didn’t make most of shooting chances. 8

Lionel Messi Rarely allowed to demonstrate dribbling ability with tight marking. Stunning strike broke deadlock and Iranian hearts. 7

Sergio Aguero Keen to get involved and dropped deep to link attacks together. Couldn’t make the most of headed chance. 5

Gonzalo Higuain Endured frustrating time as link-up play was often poor and not given chances to get shots away. 5

Substitutes

Rodrigo Palacio Looked off the pace. 4

Ezequiel Lavezzi Made no impact. 4

Lucas Biglia N/A

Iran

Alireza Haghighi Made a number of crucial saves to keep his team in it. Stood no chance with winning goal. 7

Pejman Montazeri Kept on his toes by onrushing Rojo and Di Maria. Provided good cross for Ghoochannejhad’s chance. 6

Jalal Hosseini Missed good chance to open scoring with header. Solid performance. 6

Amir Sadeghi Fearless display against plethora of attacking talent. 6

Mehrdad Pouladi Stood firm against threat of Messi and Zabaleta. Looked to get forward when afforded space to do so. 7

Andranik Teymourian Former Bolton and Fulham midfielder led by example as he worked hard to close down any sniff of an attack. 7

Masoud Shojaei Constantly looked to get ball forward and create glimmer of attacking threat. Booked. 5

Javad Nekounam Iran skipper struggled to make an impact. 5

Ehsan Hajsafi Quiet game. Couldn’t make his mark on the game. 5

Ashkan Dejagah (Man of the match) Consistently provided good delivery from set pieces and full of running. Also acted as useful shield in front of full-back to counter threat of Messi. 8

Reza Ghoochannejhad Demonstrated good hold-up play and stuck to defensive responsibilities. Unlucky not to score. 7

Substitutes

Khosro Heydari Slotted comfortably into defensive approach. 5

Alireza Jahanbakhsh N/A

Reza Haghighi N/A