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Attendance: 64,468
Nigeria national football team
World Cup | Group Stage
Jun 26, 2018 at 7pm UK
 
Argentina national football team

1-2

Moses (51' pen.)
FT(HT: 0-1)
Messi (14'), Rojo (86')

John Obi Mikel: 'Marcos Rojo handball against Nigeria was a penalty'

Mikel: 'Rojo handball was a penalty'
© Reuters
John Obi Mikel believes that Marcos Rojo's unpunished handball in the 2-1 World Cup defeat to Argentina should have led to the Super Eagles winning a penalty.

Nigeria captain John Obi Mikel has claimed that Marcos Rojo handled in the Argentina box during their World Cup defeat in St Petersburg and is adamant that his nation should have won a penalty.

In the 76th minute of the game, with the scores level at 1-1, the Manchester United defender headed the ball onto his own hand in the box after a Super Eagles cross from the left flank before Odion Ighalo shot wide.

Referee Cuneyt Cakir consulted the VAR and deemed the incident unworthy of a penalty, and 10 minutes later, Rojo struck a late winner for the Albiceleste to put them second in Group D at Nigeria's expense.

Mikel slated Cakir's decision not to award the Super Eagles a spot kick and believes that the calls for a penalty were more clear-cut than the ones for Cedric Soares's handball from a Sardar Azmoun header in the 1-1 draw between Portugal and Iran.

"It was a clear penalty for me," Mikel told reporters at full time.

"If you look at the Portugal game yesterday, this wasn't close to that. This was worse. We have seen it again in the dressing room. It was a clear handball.

"The referee looked at the VAR. He said it hit the hand. I asked why he didn't give the penalty, but he said he didn't know."

VAR is being used for the first time a World Cup this year and has been on the receiving end of much criticism from fans and pundits.

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Nigeria's John Obi Mikel during a press conference on June 1, 2018
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Group A

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Netherlands Netherlands32107
Q Senegal flag Senegal32016
3 Ecuador flag Ecuador31114
4 Qatar Qatar30030

Group B

TeamPWDLPTS
Q England flag England32107
Q United States USA31205
3 Iran Iran31023
4 Wales flag Wales30121

Group C

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Argentina Argentina32016
Q Poland Poland31114
3 Mexico Mexico31114
4 Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia31023

Group D

TeamPWDLPTS
Q France France32016
Q Australia Australia32016
3 Tunisia Tunisia31114
4 Denmark Denmark30121

Group E

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Japan Japan32016
Q Spain Spain31114
3 Germany Germany31114
4 Costa Rica flag Costa Rica31023

Group F

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Morocco Morocco32107
Q Croatia Croatia31205
3 Belgium Belgium31114
4 Canada Canada30030

Group G

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Brazil Brazil32016
Q Switzerland Switzerland32016
3 Cameroon flag Cameroon31114
4 Serbia Serbia30121

Group H

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Portugal Portugal32016
Q Republic of Korea South Korea31114
3 Uruguay flag Uruguay31114
4 Ghana flag Ghana31023

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