World Cup 2014: Argentina Defeats Bosnia-Herzegovina, 2-1

By VICTOR MATHER

A moment of Lionel Messi magic was the difference as Argentina beat Bosnia-Herzegovina, 2-1, in Rio de Janeiro in the teams' World Cup opener on Sunday.

Argentina took a 1-0 lead in the third minute, but it came on an own goal, and Messi and his attackmate Sergio Aguero looked less than fluent together in the first half.

Messi atoned in the second half with only his second World Cup goal -- and first since 2006. The shot was so well-placed, or so lucky, that it caromed off the post and into the net.

The goal turned out to be crucial, because Argentina's sometimes shaky goalkeeper, Sergio Romero, bungled a tame shot by Vedad Ibisevic that allowed Bosnia to close to 2-1 with six minutes left.

Argentina is unlikely to be troubled by Nigeria and Iran in the days ahead, so its true ability at this Cup may not be shown until the knockout stage

Lionel Messi scored in the 65th minute to help lift Argentina over Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Lionel Messi can never be the man Argentina wants him to be, since that man is Diego Maradona, and in their eyes not even Messi — no matter what genius he conjures — will ever measure up to Maradona.

So Messi's best hope to win over his countrymen is with victories. The first came Sunday night at Estádio do Maracanã, where Argentina opened Group F play with a 2-1 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The game seemed a microcosm of Messi's Argentina career, in which he has for years been his country's best player but rarely its favorite. His jersey was well represented in the boisterously pro-Argentina crowd, and the cheers were deafening when he was introduced and when, less than three minutes later, he created the opening goal with a driven free kick.

But in between ovations he was hectored by defenders, cajoled by the masses and, at one point, even roundly booed after wasting a scoring chance in a 1-0 game.

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