Day 10 in 100 words or less If this was 2010 and Germany and Ghana had just played out the 2-2 draw that took place on Saturday

Day 10 in 100 words or less If this was 2010 and Germany and Ghana had just played out the 2-2 draw that took place on Saturday then people would be talking about it as one of the greatest games in World Cup history. Wholesale Vancouver Canucks Jerseys . Of course it wasnt, although it was fantastic, but place that game around a long bunch of duds and that would have been the perception. Instead, it came in the midst of what is turning out to be the finest World Cup group stage ever. Typically, for Brazil 2014, the game wasnt even the main story on day 10, instead the little master took over that honour. Argentina 1-0 Iran Sometimes there just has to be a winner. Someone proved right even when it just seemed they were so wrong. You will have heard by now that Lionel Messi scored a dramatic injury time winner against Iran so you probably presume that the winner I am talking about is him. I am not. Heading into this World Cup the biggest storyline of all was "can the best player in the world carry Argentina to glory and become one of the greats?" For many it was nonsense, an obsession with an individual in a team sport who cannot possibly do it all himself. As the clock ticked past the ninety minute mark that crowd smiled. Resolute Iran had defended brilliantly. In a World Cup full of swashbuckling, quick, decisive finishing, it took a footballing minnow to give a masterclass in defending. Dont be fooled, they threatened to score also, but above anything else they made world class attacking stars look very ordinary. This included Messi. It was the perfect example of a game that laughed in the face of those who demanded the Barcelona star must carry his team. A game that required complete cohesion, partnerships on the field, combining to open up an opponent. A game that, late in the first half, saw Messi pick up the ball, look up and see 11 opponents in front of him... Iran did a great job with Messi, not only marking him tightly but being so disciplined with their shape and getting extra numbers that were ready if Messi cut in with his left. Messi from deep areas likes to glide from right to left but still the Iranians blocked that path. Last weekend Messi was able to score his goal against Bosnia-Herzegovina when that key area highlighted by the square (below) was open and not blocked with defenders... A 1-2 pass with Fernando Gago and suddenly Messi is into that space, shoots to the right of the goalkeeper for the game winner. And that was how he got his goal against Iran. With the game coming to a close, Iran got too deep, Messi got a one-on-one matchup with the defender and saw space to his left if he cut in... With 11 men behind the ball, but with that crucial narrow space opening up, Messi unleashed a brilliant strike to win it... Goals change perceptions as quickly as they change games. Suddenly Messi was doing what some had demanded. Carrying Argentina on his back to a victory. It was a wonderful World Cup moment, without question, but those demanding it, should be careful what they wish for. This is not Messi of 2010 and it is not even close. Yet. By not scoring, and therefore not having a moment, in South Africa Messis legacy was seen as tarnished for not performing at a World Cup. Now he looks tired and isnt quite at the same level, but scoring, everything seems to be fine again. It just goes to show you what a staggeringly misguided argument it was in the first place. Germany 2-2 Ghana There is no room for perfection in a World Cup like this. Germany, superior against Portugal, were clearly the most impressive team after the first round of games but it just wouldnt be Brazil 2014 if that was allowed to continue. Germany, much like Italy and Spain this week, spent some time in the heat of Brazil struggling to get back in a match. The big difference was they had a record breaker to bring off the bench. For the first time since 1994, the Germans trailed at the World Cup after leading and, stunned at 2-1, on came Miroslav Klose. Two minutes later he had them level, fittingly poaching at the backpost, equaling the Brazilian great Ronaldo with 15 World Cup goals. It was the fourth goal in a mad 20 minutes. Ghana had joined an ever-growing comeback club at this World Cup responding to a Mario Gotze opener with two excellent goals that highlighted some German weakness. Germanys weakness is their defence and they were easily outjumped by Andre Ayew to make it 1-1. The heat of Fortaleza certainly played a part but the tempo of their passing wasnt quick enough either and that showed when they turned the ball over on the second goal. Philipp Lahm has now had two opportunities to move back to right back in two games but so far Joachim Low has resisted. To get Bastian Schweinsteiger, Sami Khedira and Toni Kroos together, bringing more pace and power to their midfield, Lahm may need to move back to defence. Nigeria 1-0 Bosnia-Herzegovina The African momentum continued into the evening game, which was another wide open, stretched affair. The game swung in the first half when Edin Dzeko was wrongly ruled offside after putting his team ahead. Soon after, Nigeria, a constant threat down the right side, opened the scoring when Emmanuel Emenike crossed for Peter Odemwingie to smash home. The Europeans were poor in the second half and didnt threaten enough until Vincent Enyeama produced a wonderful save with his legs in the dying moments. Seen as some as a dark horse heading in, the World Cup rookies are eliminated at the first fence. Another lesson that far too much emphasis can be placed on form from qualifying, which ended eight months ago. Man of the Day Nominees Ashkan Dejagah – Iran had many stars on this day but the Fulham man was incredibly lively when they countered and could have had a penalty when tripped by Pablo Zabaleta. Javad Nekounam – If Dejagah was the star going forward, his midfielder teammate was marvelous maintaining the shape and discipline of their back lines. Lionel Messi – It could have been a two yard tap-in and it still would have been a massive moment, given the timing of the goal, but in the end it was an absolutely stunning goal. Miroslav Klose – Any player who equals any stat held by the great Ronaldo is special. Emmanuel Emenike – It was a dominant display from the forward tearing apart Emir Spahic at the heart of the Bosnian defence. The winner... Lionel Messi – Who else? What comes next? Belgium vs. Russia (12pm/9am), South Korea vs. Algeria (3pm/noon), USA vs. Portugal (6pm/3pm). Burning question for Sunday Can the USA stop Joao Moutinho from dictating a game from midfield? Key stat of Day 10 Try this on your friends – what do Real Madrid, Inter Milan and Stoke City have in common? They are the three teams that have had players score past their club goalkeeper. Zinedine Zidane vs Iker Casillas (2006), Wesley Sneijder vs Julio Cesar (2010) and now Peter Odemwingie vs Asmir Begovic (2014). Authentic Jake Virtanen Jersey . The Mavericks avoided a season sweep by the Nuggets, who ran away with a win in Denver two weeks ago to hand Dallas its longest losing streak at three games. Dallas (42-28) got a boost in the playoff race when Miami rallied from seven down in the last 3 1/2 minutes to beat Memphis 91-86 Friday night. Authentic Brendan Leipsic Jersey .com) - Blake Griffin led five Clippers in double figures with 24 points and the LA Clippers got back on track with a 101-97 win over the Utah Jazz. http://www.cheapcanucksjerseysauthentic.com/?tag=authentic-thatcher-demko-jersey . Altidore strained his left hamstring in the Americans opener against Ghana on June 16 and didnt play in their next two games. "We dont know how much because we need to see how hes going, but hes available," U.SAN FRANCISCO -- Tim Lincecum has talked the past few years about rediscovering the consistency that won him two NL Cy Young Awards and made him one of baseballs best pitchers. Lincecums last two outings have brought him awfully close to finding that form again. The rejuvenated right-hander followed his second career no-hitter with another vintage performance, pitching eight sharp innings to lead the San Francisco Giants past the St. Louis Cardinals 5-0 on Tuesday night. "We try to go out there and duplicate when things are feeling good," Lincecum said. "We tried to do that today. All my pitches were working when I threw them. They werent super nasty -- they were just located a little better than usual." Maybe more than a little. Lincecum (7-5) allowed four hits, struck out six and walked two. He worked out of a bases-loaded jam with no outs in the fourth and stayed out of trouble the rest of the way, helping San Francisco snap a four-game losing streak since his latest gem against San Diego. Lincecum left after throwing 113 pitches, including 73 for strikes -- the exact same line as his no-hitter against the Padres last week -- before Jean Machi pitched a drama-free ninth. "I think the two (starts), if you look at them, its hard to find a big difference," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "Its a guy that had command of all his pitches." Pablo Sandoval hit his 100th career homer to cap a three-run fourth for the Giants, and he got a bottle of bubbly in the clubhouse afterward. San Francisco also scored twice in the fifth to chase Marco Gonzales (0-1) in the left-handers second career start. Gonzales gave up five runs and seven hits in 4 1-3 innings. St. Louis has lost three straight and four of five in a tough stretch against the leagues hottest pitchers. The Cardinals faced a pitcher with a no-hitter this season for the third time in five games. After Josh Beckett and Clayton Kershaw led the Los Angeles Dodgers to victories over St. Louis, Allen Craig singled with one out in the second to put an early end to Lincecums bid for another no-hitter. Authentic Trevor Linden Jersey. Lincecum, who has shown signs of returning to his dominant form of late, showed the poise and polish of his younger days even when things started to go awry. Lincecum loaded the bases in the fourth before striking out Craig and Jon Jay and getting Daniel Descalso to ground out. Lincecum pounded his glove and received a standing ovation from the announced sellout crowd of 41,152. "It gets you fired up," right fielder Hunter Pence said. "When a guys making good pitches, you get him on the ropes youve got to make him bleed a little bit. That one slipped away," Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. San Francisco supplied all the support Lincecum needed in the bottom of the inning. Buster Poseys double drove in a run before Sandovals wind-aided fly carried just over the wall in left to give San Francisco a 3-0 lead. "Its hard to hit one," said Sandoval, who wore his "lucky" boots for the first time in weeks trying to break San Franciscos skid. "Im excited to get this moment." Pence hit an RBI double and Hector Sanchez drove in another run in the fifth to put the Giants up 5-0. The performance from San Franciscos leading men -- Lincecum, Sandoval, Posey and Pence -- was a welcome turnaround for the teams fans. The Giants entered the game 1-6 on their homestand, including four straight losses to Cincinnati. It was the first time San Francisco had been swept in a four-game series at its waterfront ballpark, which opened in 2000. NOTES: Giants CF Angel Pagan is scheduled to be examined by a specialist in Los Angeles on Wednesday after having a setback in his recovery from a back injury while running. Pagan said he has a bulging disk in his back that is pinching a nerve and causing pain in his legs. .... The Cardinals recalled top prospect Oscar Taveras and started him in RF, giving Matt Holliday a day off. Taveras went 0 for 3 with a walk. ... Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright (10-4, 2.01 ERA) starts opposite Giants RHP Ryan Vogelsong (5-4, 3.96 ERA) on Wednesday. cheap falcons jerseys cheap ravens jerseys cheap bills jerseys cheap bears jerseys cheap bengals jerseys cheap cowboys jerseys cheap lions jerseys cheap texans jerseys cheap colts jerseys cheap jaguars jerseys cheap chiefs jerseys cheap rams jerseys cheap dolphins jerseys cheap vikings jerseys cheap saints jerseys cheap giants jerseys cheap jets jerseys cheap eagles jerseys cheap steelers jerseys cheap 49ers jerseys ' ' '