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Sampaoli, Argentina part ways after disappointing World Cup display

ROMAN KRUCHININ / AFP / Getty

The Argentine Football Association (AFA) and Jorge Sampaoli parted ways Sunday after the head coach oversaw a tumultuous round of 16 exit from the World Cup at the end of June.

Fitness coach Jorge Desio and video analyst Matias Manna also stepped away from their respective roles.

Argentina collected one point from its opening two Group D fixtures against Iceland and Croatia, leaving Lionel Messi to front a rescue job in a 2-1 win over Nigeria. The relief was short-lived, however, as the Albiceleste dropped out of the competition in a last-16 defeat to France. The result from that meeting, a 4-3 reverse, was flattering, as the eventual World Cup champion was the dominant force throughout much of the clash.

By that time, rumours suggested Javier Mascherano and Messi had wrested control of tactics and team selection from the former Chile and Sevilla boss, effectively leaving Sampaoli with a backseat role against Nigeria and France. Mascherano was strangely a weak link in the tournament-preserving Nigeria match, as he was continually exposed in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Sampaoli had previously ushered in a 3-4-2-1 schematic that seemed to lay bare the country's weaknesses in defence.

Sampaoli's successor will have a tough task in overseeing a new generation for the national team. The average age of the XI that faced Nigeria was around 30-and-a-half - the oldest ever fielded by Argentina at a World Cup.

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