From Omam-Biyik's goal to Messi's record, Argentina's 8 matches against African teams

Argentina's journey in the World Cup has seen a recurring, and often challenging, pattern of facing African opposition. The Albiceleste's first encounter with an African team was a shocking 0-1 defeat to Cameroon in the opening match of the 1990 World Cup. This unexpected loss marked a difficult start for the defending champions, who were caught off guard by the Cameroonian squad led by Valery Nepómnyashchy and featuring the legendary Roger Milla.

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A goal by François Omam-Biyik sealed Cameroon's 0-1 victory against Argentina in the match that opened Group B of the World Cup on June 8, 1990.

Since that initial surprise, Argentina has faced African teams on seven more occasions. Nigeria has emerged as a frequent adversary, with the two nations meeting multiple times throughout the tournament's history. Their clashes have often been closely contested, with notable matches including a 2-1 victory in 1994, secured by two goals from Claudio Paul Caniggia, a game also remembered for Diego Maradona's departure for a doping test. Another encounter in the 2002 World Cup saw Argentina, then coached by Marcelo Bielsa, triumph 1-0 against Nigeria with a goal from Gabriel Batistuta, though they were ultimately eliminated in the group stage.

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Surprised by the team led by Valery Nepómnyashchy and featuring the historic Roger Milla, the reigning champion began its title defense conquered in Mexico '86 in the worst possible way.

More recently, Argentina and Nigeria have met in the group stages of the 2010, 2014, and 2018 World Cups. The 2010 match marked Lionel Messi's first World Cup start against an African team, with Gabriel Heinze scoring the decisive goal in a 1-0 win. The 2014 and 2018 encounters were high-scoring affairs, with Argentina winning 3-2 and 2-1 respectively, both featuring goals from Messi and Marcos Rojo. The upcoming Round of 16 match against Cape Verde will mark the ninth time Argentina faces an African team on the world's biggest football stage.

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That was not just another match: it was the first against an African team in the history of the World Cups.