Diego Mardona living life to the fullest at World Cup
What you need to know:
- Argentina had drawn their first match of the group against Iceland 1-1.
IN MOSCOW, RUSSIA
When 2014 World Cup losing finalists Argentina beat Nigeria in final Group ‘E’ match on Tuesday at St Petersburg Stadium, an animated Diego Maradona was seen performing a salsa dance from the VIP dais at full time.
Pictures have also surfaced of Diego celebrating and apparently showing an obscene gesture from the VIP dais immediately Manchester United star Marcos Rojo scored Argentina’s second goal in the match as a fan dressed in Argentina jersey rises to hug him.
At full time and with his medical team watching from a touching distance, Argentina’s 1986 World Cup-winning captain is seen holding hands with an unidentified Nigerian lady in the VIP dais after the match, the woman performing salsa moves for close to 20 seconds before resuming her seat.
Argentina’s victory on Tuesday was good news to Diego, who had cut a dejected figure on June 21 when Croatia thumped his home nation 3-0 in their second match of Group ‘E’ at Nizhny Novgorod.
Argentina had drawn their first match of the group against Iceland 1-1, with Messi missing a penalty.
The team needed to beat Nigeria to qualify for the knock-out stage as the second-placed team from the group behind Croatia. Nigeria finished third with three points, while Iceland are bottom of the group with one point.
Later after Tuesday’s match, reports indicated that Diego, who is fourth in Argentina’s all-time leading goal scorers’ chart with 34 goals behind Hernan Crespo (35), Gabriel Batistuta (56) and Lionel Messi (64), had been taken ill later on Tuesday. He was flown from St Petersburg to Moscow from St Petersburg later Tuesday.
On Wednesday, the two-time World Cup winner released a statement confirming he was in good health.
