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Argentina coach Sergio Batista declared that he was pleased with his side's 2-1 victory over  Portugal tonight in Geneva, and singled out match-winner Lionel Messi and debutant Marcos Rojo for special praise.

A last minute penalty from Messi won the encounter for the Albiceleste, after a goal from Real Madrid rival Cristiano Ronaldo had canceled out Angel di Maria's opener.

Speaking in a post-match press conference, 'Checho' praised his men for triumphing in a tough fixture, against a Portugal side that battled for the entire 90 minutes.

"We are still lacking a little bit of depth, but in general the team is looking good," Batista began, before praising the attitude of his squad and promising that "things still need to be corrected."

The coach moved on to talk about 'La Pulga', who scored one and set one up in the game, and asserted that he would place him ahead of 'CR7'.

"I enjoy watching the two, but for me it seemed that today Lionel was a step above."

Batista finished by praising new boy Rojo.

"I liked how he handled himself tonight, it is never easy marking a player like Nani."

The hero of the hour Messi also commented on the game, and remarked that he had a good feeling about how he and the national team were progressing.

"I felt great. We played a great game. We tried our best on a terrible pitch," the playmaker told reporters in the mixed zone.

"We know exactly what our tactics and game-plan are. We have won our last few matches and we have to continue in the same fashion."

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Real Madrid director Jorge Valdano believes the heir to Alfredo Di Stefano is Cristiano Ronaldo, not Barcelona's Lionel Messi as Atletico Madrid coach Quique Sanchez Flores labeled him.

Sanchez Flores saw the Argentine international score a hat-trick against his side on Saturday evening, but Valdano has rebuffed those comments, saying it is the Portuguese superstar who deserves the mantle.

"It is not Messi, it is Cristiano Ronaldo, who what is more wears the same shirt," Valdano said, as reported by Eurosport. "He is a very important player who is set to make history at this club.

"We wouldn’t swap Cristiano for anyone, although one must recognize that both he and Messi are two very high-quality players whom it is a privilege to have in La Liga."

Ronaldo scored twice in the Blancos' 4-1 win over Real Sociedad on the weekend.

Di Stefano scored 418 goals in 510 matches for Los Merengues, helping the Spanish side win the first five European Cups between 1956 and 1960.

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Labels: Alfredo, believes, Cristiano, Director, General, Goalcom, Jorge, Madrid, Ronaldo, Stefano, Valdano