Marcos Rojo speaks on 2018 World Cup, his goal vs. Nigeria

Marcos Rojo spoke about the 2018 World Cup with the Argentina national team and his goal against Nigeria.

Rojo was part of two FIFA World Cup tournaments with the Argentina national team, making the final in one and playing a pivotal role in the second. When the Argentina national team took to the pitch against Nigeria at the 2018 World Cup, it was a match they would have to win and a match which saw a different eleven from the one that started the loss against Croatia.

Now no longer part of the Argentina national team, Marcos Rojo spoke in an interview with Líbero Vs on TyC Sports about that World Cup. Here is what he had to say about it and about the coach at the time, Jorge Sampaoli:

“Making many changes at a World Cup is very difficult. You play for your life in every match. Before the World Cup, it looked like everything was clear but we got there and half of it was lost. A player feels that.

“I played against Iceland, we drew, he took me out against Croatia where we lost 3-0 and I was back playing against Nigeria.”

In regards to the team chat before the match against Nigeria:

“We had a normal team chat, as always. There were many for whom it was their first World Cup and those are burned for life. We agreed that those who were in the national team the longest played.

“That’s how the coach saw it at that moment. Every match cost us but even so and everything with France, we were winning and at the end we were close to tying it.”

Regarding his goal at the 2018 World Cup:

“The goal I celebrated the most at the 2018 World Cup was against Nigeria. I didn’t know I had Messi on my back, I just wanted to get to Mercado who played me the cross. He crossed it and I was there with my right foot, impossible. I hit it with my right foot but perfectly hit it. I could kick 100 times and I wouldn’t score.

“It would have been crazy to be eliminated in the group with Leo on the pitch, they would have killed us all, imagine. It was going to be a catastrophe, so imagine the relief that was, in that minute.”