Gago unconcerned by winning ´ugly´

Argentina midfielder Fernando Gago does not think that winning “ugly” against Iran is a matter for concern.

Alejandro Sabella’s side have not been entirely convincing so far in the tournament, despite beating Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-1 and then clinching second-round qualification with a 1-0 victory over Iran.

In both matches, Argentina were eventually bailed out by individual brilliance from Lionel Messi, with the Barcelona star scoring in second-half stoppage time to clinch the Iran win.

Argentina were particularly shaky against the Asian side, affording Carlos Queiroz’s men numerous goalscoring chances which were ultimately wasted or saved by Sergio Romero.

Despite the poor performance, Gago is not overly concerned about not playing eye-catching football, reminding people that they will only reach their target by winning.

“Perhaps it was ugly, but the important thing is that we won,” the Boca Juniors man told El Dia.

“The most important thing is that we won and qualified, which was the primary objective.

“The truth is that it was a very difficult game because they put everyone back (in defence) and the pitch was not right and it was difficult to try some things

“We were a little exposed on the break. The game would have been different if we managed to capitalise on some of the many chances we created. The issue is that when a rival gets everyone so far back it is difficult.

“It is important to win, more so in a competition like the World Cup. The only thing (target) that remains is to become the champion.

“The first objective was achieved, which was to qualify (from the group). Now we need to improve, to reach the goal we’ve set we must improve our game.”

Argentina meet Nigeria in their final group fixture on Wednesday.