With the second round of group games complete, the world has witnessed the two biggest superstars on the planet perform for their respective nations: Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi each carried major burdens heading into this week's matches.

After a game in which he was largely absent against Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Argentinean genius reportedly had some issues with his coach. Nothing has been confirmed, but more than a few reporters seem to believe that Messi and coach Alejandro Sabella disagreed with the lineup set for the matchup.

Messi reportedly likes the 4-3-3 formation and was among those leaders that pushed for the coach to change over from the 5-3-2 formation at the halfway point of the first game.

He then apparently spoke with his coach about maintaining that formation for the game against Iran and Sabella's response was civil.

"He was asked how he likes to play and he answered what he thinks in a respectful way. We respect each other, we have a very strong team spirit," said Sabella. "It is good to have an open dialogue with my players. Sometimes players learn from us the coaches and sometimes we learn from them."

Messi got his way, but it did not help the team's cause. For 90 plus minutes, Messi and his teammates struggled not only to unlock a disciplined Iranian defense, but also to stop them from attacking. Of the scoring chances throughout the game, there can be no denying that the Middle Eastern nation had better opportunities; the team was arguably incorrectly denied a penalty shot, but that's a conversation for another piece.

In essence, Messi, the man who clamored for a 4-3-3 formation to better incorporate his play into the squad's, did not really get anything out of it for 90 minutes. His decision and choice was an abrupt failure. But then it took just one moment to change that perception. Messi took the ball at the edge of the box and using his left foot, fired it into the back post and in. He had played the hero again for his country and a few seconds of brilliance washed away 90 minutes of invisibility and mediocrity. But that is the way it goes.

Arguably, what mattersmost is the win, not how it is obtained. But the concern is this: Iran and Bosnia were not premier sides. Against those teams (which most pundits felt Argentina would steamroll), the team and its talisman struggled to do what they do best -- generate offense. What will they do in the knockout rounds when opponents are not only more knowledgeable about Argentina, but also have better players to execute any defensive plans? It does not bode well for Messi if he continues his recipe of combining extending mediocrity sprinkled with dashes of brilliance.

As for Ronaldo, things went better than they did in Portugal's opener against Germany, but not by much. Ronaldo had a game to forget against Germany. He created a few chances but was otherwise invisible. The big story of the week was whether he was even fit to play. Doctors claimed that he might have a lingering knee injury, but he declared himself fit. And so he played.

His game was decent at best. He created some chances but was far from the effective game changer that Real Madrid fans have come to expect. His team needed a win to have major hopes of qualifying, but he failed to rise to the occasion time and again. In fact, Ronaldo just did not look comfortable and his play lacked that precise technical command that he has shown throughout his career; it is very clear that Ronaldo is injured even if he does not want to admit it. But that did not stop him from having a moment that kept him in the conversation as a hero for his country. He did have his major breakthrough on the final play as he crossed the ball into for Silvestre Varela's dramatic tying goal. It was certainly a fine moment for Ronaldo, but not as iconic as the one Messi put together.