The Albiceleste secured passage to the knockout stage of the global tournament after edging the Super Eagles in their final group game.

Argentina captain Lionel Messi says his side would have been humiliated by critics had they been eliminated by Nigeria in the 2018 Fifa World Cup in Russia.

Reflecting on his side’s performance in the tournament, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner admitted that their poor preparation led to their below-par display in the global showpiece.

“When we lost and crashed out of the tournament, we knew our time was up because our preparation and focus towards the tournament was not too impressive,” Messi told Fox Sports Radio in Argentina.

“It would have been very humiliating if Nigeria had eliminated us at the group stage.

“The World Cup in Russia was a complicated period for us. But people knew we were not candidates to win. Today is different, I see a young and excited group ready for success.

“When we qualified against Nigeria in the World Cup everyone who was mocking us was silent, they wanted us to be humiliated. If we were knocked out in the groups they would have killed us all.”