Musa stars as Nigeria lifts last-16 hopes, helping Argentina's odds

Ahmed Musa's two-goal performance boosted Nigeria's chances of reaching the World Cup's knockout stage for the second time on the spin.

With Friday's 2-0 victory over Iceland, the Super Eagles have vaulted the Scandinavian debutant and Argentina for second spot in Group D.

In the process, Argentina's hopes have also been handed a lifeline by the side it'll face next Tuesday in St. Petersburg to determine who joins Croatia in the knockout stage.

With a match to play, the Group D standings look like this:

La Albiceleste will have to beat Nigeria and hope that Iceland does not top Croatia by the same margin or a greater scoreline to advance to the last-16 for the fourth time in four tries.

Musa's brace paired with two in Brazil gives the Leicester City player four World Cup goals, the most scored by a Nigerian and the third-highest by an African player.

Honours came all around for Gernot Rohr's charges, with 19-year-old shot-stopper Francis Uzoho becoming the second youngest to record a clean sheet at the World Cup.

After failing to register a shot before the break, Nigeria came out firing in the second half, managing 16 efforts including four on target. Musa opened the scoring four minutes after the interval on the counter. Victor Moses' surging run down the right flank delivered a looping pass to Musa, whose delicate first touch set up a deft finish beyond a helpless Hannes Halldorsson.

Nigeria's counter-attack would again prove to be Iceland's undoing 15 minutes from time when Musa darted down the left and rounded Kari Arnason before a series of dribbles and a calm finish doubled the Screaming Eagles' advantage.

All four Group D sides will play at the same time next Tuesday, with Argentina and Nigeria squaring off at the Krestovsky Stadium while Croatia and Iceland clash in Rostov-on-Don.

(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)