FIFA WORLD CUP UPDATE: ARGENTINA BEATS NIGERIA 1-0, SOUTH KOREANS SCORE FIRST WIN
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 13 Jun 2010
ARGENTINA BEATS NIGERIA 1-0
Former FIFA World Cup champions Argentina, one of the favorites this year scored a 1-0 victory over a game Nigerian team whose goalkeepe Vincent Enyeama put on a fantastic performance to prevent what could have been a rout.
FIFA ?Footballer of the Year? Lionel Messi dazzled but simply couldn?t score and in the end it told the story of the match although Argentina never looked likely to concede a goal.
With the win Argentina joined South Korea at the top of Group B after the Koreans put on a workmanlike display to beat Greece 2-0 with a goal in each half.
Following is the FIFA report on the Argentina-Nigeria match.
Argentina joined Saturday's earlier winners Korea Republic on three points in Group B with a 1-0 victory over Nigeria at Johannesburg's packed Ellis Park. Gabriel Heinze scored the game's only goal with a diving header from a corner in just the sixth minute, although the two-time FIFA World Cup? winners would have added more if not for the heroics of Nigeria goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama and their own wasteful finishing.
As early as the fourth minute, FIFA World Player of the Year Lionel Messi burst through the Super Eagles' defence and set up Gonzalo Higuain in front of goal, but the Real Madrid man blazed wide of the target. Two minutes later Messi tested Enyeama from 20 yards out, but the Israel-based goalkeeper saved well with a dive to his right. However, from the resulting corner, Heinze ran free of his marker and made no mistake with his header from the penalty spot.
The early goal sent coach Diego Maradona into raptures on the sideline, and surely he must have thought there was more to come.
Messi was a constant thorn in the side of the Nigeria defence, and in the 18th minute he cut inside and curled a left-footed shot towards goal from 25 yards out. But Enyeama was up to the task with a fine save at his post. Three minutes later, the Albiceleste threatened again but Higuain blasted his point-blank shot right into the goalkeeper.
Enyeama was the Nigerian hero another time shortly after, denying Messi with his fingertips when it seemed like his curling shot would sneak in.
The introduction of Obafemi Martins early in the second period sparked Nigeria into life. The Wolfsburg forward showed his pace on the hour to latch onto a through-ball and play in Sani Kaita but he blasted over from 25 yards out.
As the match opened up, Argentina found more room in the attacking third. In the 65th minute, they counter-attacked quickly to find themselves four-on-two and bearing down on the Nigeria defence. Carlos Tevez slid the ball dangerously into the middle, Angel Di Maria let the ball carry on to Messi, but the Barcelona superstar hit his shot agonisingly wide. Messi then set up Higuain for another opening, but Enyeama was again the victor in that head-to-head duel.
In the 71st minute, Nigeria left-back Taye Taiwo blasted a shot just wide of the post from the edge of the area, injuring himself in the process. His replacement, Kalu Uche, had the best chance of the night for the Super Eagles in the 83rd minute, but he failed to keep down an effort from 12 yards out despite being left unmarked.
Nigeria next face Greece on 17 June in Manguang/Bloemfontein, when Argentina and Korea Republic will battle it out for top spot in the group at Johannesburg?s Soccer City.
SOUTH KOREANS SCORE FIRST WIN
With some of its players skills honed by playing in the English Premier League with such formidable teams as Manchester United, South Korea became the first team in the 2010 FIFA World Cup to win when the tough Koreans beat 2004 European champions Greece 2-0 in a Group B match played in the Port Elizabeth Stadium, Saturday evening Manila Time..
The Koreans slammed home a goal early in each half to seal the victory and prove that Asian teams can no longer be discounted in the greatest sporting event in the world.
The match was telecast ?Live? on ABS-CBN?s Skycable sports channel ?Balls?.
Replays are scheduled to begin on Studio 23 from Monday to Sunday at 8:00 a.m. beginning June 14 and Tuesday to Saturday at 12 midnight and 11:30 p.m. on Sundays starting June 15.
Here is a report on the South Korea-Greece encounter from FIFA:
The South Koreans were the dominant force for virtually all of the first half although they had to withstand some initial pressure from Greece with Vasileios Torosidis seeing an effort fly off target. The same player should then have scored following Georgios Karagounis's corner but he put a decent chance wide from nine yards.
Huh Jung-Moo's side shrugged off that scare and proceeded to pin their opponents back, and with only seven minutes gone they forged ahead. A free-kick from near the left-hand corner flag found the blue shirts all at sea and at the far post Lee Jung-Soo pounced to sidefoot home and become his country's fastest-ever scorer at a FIFA World Cup.
Greece, European champions in 2004, never recovered from that setback and Korea smelled the chance of further goals with Manchester United's Park Ji-Sung always a danger and Yeom Ki-Hun also pulling the strings. In the 28th minute the South Koreans, fast-raiding and adroit with their ball control, fashioned an outstanding chance to double their advantage as Park Ji-Sung slid a lovely ball into the feet of Park Chu-Young.
Park Chu-Young was clear of the last man but just as he attempted to seal his strong run with a scoring finish, a combination of the back-pedalling Loukas Vyntra and Alexandros Tzorvas denied him, the goalkeeper making a vital intervention to deflect the ball over. Greece had to change their approach and Otto Rehhagel decided to take off captain Karagounis at the break with Christos Patsatzoglou coming in. However with another goal seven minutes into the second period, Korea put the game as good as out of reach.
It was a disaster for Greek defending as they gave possession away inside their own half and were left helpless as Ji-Sung took ruthless advantage. There was strength, control and determination in his run as he tore into the penalty area before burying a left-footed shot past Tzorvas and become only the second Asian player to score in three different FIFA World Cups having also found the net in 2002 and 2006.
It should have been three minutes later as Chu Young dashed between defenders to meet a cross from the right but he could not keep his header down.
Greece, who had not managed a goal in any of their previous three FIFA World Cup games - all of which had been lost - had no option but to give everything to try and claw back the deficit. They looked to Theofanis Gekas, who with ten goals was the leading scorer in the European qualifying zone to inspire an recovery, and he tried an ambitious overhead kick which went over.
Soon after Dimitrios Salpingidis scooped the ball over as it was drilled in from the left while Jung Sung Ryong was forced into a fine save at the end. But there was no dispute that Korea were good value for their three points.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
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