Argentina had to settle for a 1-0 win over Nigeria at Johannesburg’s Ellis Park as the Super Eagles were super-stubborn in the face of Messi & co.
Argentina had a dream start to the game as former Manchester United man Gabriele Heinze placed an astonishing diving header into the top-left corner of the Nigeria goal.
But from there both teams were compact in midfield, forcing much of the ball to be glued to the centre of the park, the occasional sparkling run from the mercurial Messi or a bullish turn of pace from Carlos Tevez the only thing that seemed to create any good chances.
The second half saw much more clever play for the Argentines, as lofted flicks and deft through balls threatened to unlock the Nigerian defence time and time again, with two notable chances for Real Madrid‘s adizero-wearer Higuain.
The main talking point from the match will be how the other teams in Group B, South Korea and Greece, are going to find a way past Nigerian Keeper Vincent Enyeama, who was on outstanding form throughout the game.
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