Rio De Janeiro: Lionel Messi’s individual brilliance helped a sloppy Argentina just about edge past spirited debutantes Bosnia-Herzegovina 2-1 even as France blanked a 10-man Honduras 3-0 in a gruelling clash on the fourth day of the FIFA World Cup.
Messi, a four-time Ballon d’Or winner, was the cynosure of all eyes at the majestic Maracana stadium as two-time champions Argentina kicked off their campaign.
However, Bosnia-Herzegovina’s spirited performance shackled Argentina, especially a heavily-marked Messi, before some tactical changes in the second half helped them break free.
Elsewhere, goal-line technology awarded the first international goal as France beat a 10-man Honduras courtesy twin strikes by Karim Benzema, while Switzerland stunned Ecuador 2-1 after pulling off a winner in the dying moments of other Group E clash.
But all eyes were on Messi on Sunday as he led Argentina out, trying to stave off the perception of being a greater player of club Barcelona than the national team. The two-time champions led the first half courtesy an own goal by Sead Kolasina, who sent in a Messi free kick into his own net. The Argentine players looked lost even after having the advantage, failing to complete passes and creating any real shots at the goal.
The underwhelming performance triggered jeers from the fans before Argentina coach coach Alejandro Sabella changed tactics in the second half.
From the 5-3-2 formation, Sabella changed it to 4-3-3 by sending in Gonzalo Higuain and Fernando Gago to replace Sergio Aguero for the lacklustre Maxi Rodriguez and Hugo Campanaro.
The move paid dividends quite quickly as Messi paired with Higuain for a swift exchange of passes in the 65th minute before netting his second World Cup goal, a good eight years after notching the first.
Substitute Vesad Ibisevic had the honour to score Bosnia’s first ever World Cup finals goal, five minutes form the whistle, when he shot the ball in as Argentine goalkeeper Sergio Romero approached and failed to block.
At Porto Alegre, Benzema hit a brace in France’s 3-0 win over 10-man Honduras in a Group E game.
At the start of the second half, a volley from Benzema, who had put his side ahead with a penalty conversion, hit the post and bounced back into the area.
Honduras goalkeeper Noel Valladares tried to pull the ball out but referee Sandro Ricci declared it an own-goal after employing the new technology.
Winston Palacios was handed a red card after two fouls on on Paul Pogba. Benzema scored his second goal in the 72nd minute from a difficult angle.
Earlier, in the Group E opener at Brasilia, substitute Haris Seferovic smashed home a winner in dying moments to seal a dramatic 2-1 win for Switzerland over Ecuador. Striker Enner Valencia headed in Ecuador’s only goal before Admir Mehmedi equalised for the Swiss.
In Rio De Janeiro, it was a nightmarish start for debutantes Bosnia as Sead Kolasinac’s own goal, third of the tournament so far, handed Argentina the lead in the third minute. Messi fired a free-kick from the left, Marcos Rojo jumped for a header but missed the ball, which brushed Kolasinac’s shin before crashing into the net. (AFP)