MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

A gallant Nigeria almost KO Maradona in St Petersburg

Maradona struggled to walk as he was aided by one man in black and followed by two others as he was led inside a luxury box

Argentine soccer legend Diego Maradona may have gotten a little too excited during a FIFA World Cup match on Tuesday. The 57-year-old collapsed after his home country won 2 to 1 against Nigeria in St. Petersburg, Russia, according to a video posted by the Spanish-language newspaper La Nación.

Maradona struggled to walk as he was aided by one man in black and followed by two others as he was led inside a luxury box, the newspaper reported.

He was treated by medics for low blood pressure but was able to leave on his own after standing on his own, according to the publication.

Maradona was animated during the match as Argentina sought to avoid elimination in the group stage. The former soccer player even pulled a Nigerian fan to him to dance in a victory for Argentina.
The Argentine team won and finished second in Group D, leading team player Lionel Messi and others to face France in round 16 next Saturday.

The team previously played Croatia and lost 0 to 3. They tied with Iceland next, 1 to 1.

After Argentina’s win, Maradona could be seen waving his two middle fingers in the air as he celebrated with other fans.

A soccer legend, Maradona won the FIFA World Cup for Argentina in 1986, cementing himself as the country’s hero ever since.

While Maradona recovered from his brief health scare, Egyptian TV commentator Abdel Rahim Mohamed reportedly suffered cardiac arrest and died after being transported to a hospital after Egypt lost for the third time in the opening round of the FIFA 2018 World Cup.