Argentina defender Federico Fazio believes Lionel Messi and his team showed a different attitude in their win over Nigeria.
Messi opened the scoring and Marcos Rojo struck a late winner in a 2-1 victory for Jorge Sampaoli’s side, who snuck into the last 16 at the World Cup.
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Fazio said it was a change in mindset that was crucial for Argentina, who face France in the last 16 on Saturday.
‘I think we showed a different attitude towards the last game, not just from him [Messi] but from all the team, all the players,’ he told a news conference.
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‘I think we played well against Croatia [in a 3-0 loss] after all, but in this third game, I think their first goal did hurt us, but we all knew from the beginning all that was at stake and what would have happened if we lost.
‘We saw a committed team, fighting together with a different attitude, and that was something which helped Leo too.’
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After struggling through the group stage, Argentina will go into their meeting with France in Kazan as outsiders.