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Argentina vs Nigeria - 2010 FIFA World Cup Post Match Analysis

Matias Vulej, June 13 2010,
Diego Maradona's team victory almost secures Argentina's ticket for the next stage. Lars Lagerback's boys will have to claim every possible point not to return home within a week.

Everyone was expecting a footbalistic explosion in Johannesburg, but Argentina has only been able to claim the three points with the minimum difference. Lionel Messi created many goal opportunities but his lack of efficiency was determinant for the squad to suffer until the last moment before celebrating a victory.

 


No time to lose

The first 10 minutes of the game showed Argentina determined to get the upper hand, with two shots from Lionel Messi that would have given Argentina a loose edge from the very first breath. A third dangerous approach gave Argentina a corner kick. Juan Sebastian Veron sent a perfect ball to the center of the area, which Gabriel Heinze turned into the first and only goal of the game. Heinze's definition showed his aerial expertise, sending an unstoppable ball right to the upper left angle. Lionel Messi's quest for a goal kept coming one after another, but Vincent Enyeama managed to keep Nigeria's goal safe from Perla's furious blows.

The Eagles had a fair amount of opportunities to even the score, and Martin Demichellis seemed to be working undercover for Lars Lagerback. Messi and Higuain had each over three hand-to-hand situations with Nigeria's goalkeeper, but Enyeama did everything right and kept the result open until the last moment. This player might be one of the revelations of this competition, having already celebrated this year Israel's Cup and Championship with Hapoel Tel Aviv.

Gabriel Heinze, scoring the winning goal.Midfield's play was clearly in favor of Argentina, who dominated the game all around. Angel Di Maria was not particularly determinant in the game, as most of Argentina's attempts came from the interaction
between Juan Veron, Carlos Tevez and Lionel Messi. Veron was the manager of Argentina's creativity, and Tevez become the driver and had the task of packing Nigeria's defense all together so Messi could
escape from one of the bands. Gonzalo Higuain has not played its best match with the Albiceleste, but Diego Milito's presence in the second time did not change Argentina's offensive drawing.


Domination & Submission

A look at the statics for this game speaks louder than words. Argentina controlled the ball 65% percent of the time. 7 times an Argentinean striker forced Nigeria's goalkeeper to defend the team, while only once could the eagles worry Argentina's goalkeeper. Both teams had problems controlling the creativity of the strikers, making 7 and 8 fouls respectively during the 90 minutes.

Nigeria tried to grab the bull by the horns, but their 4-4-2 formation made it almost impossible to get through Argentina's compact defense. Obafema Martins entered the game during the second half and even though he was the creator of Nigeria's most dangerous shots, Martins' precision was not particularly sharp. Kaita and Ogbuke Obasi kept Sergio Romero constantly busy with mid-distance shots, but Argentina's goalkeeper remained confident the 90 minutes. Nigeria's counter attack
on the last minute of the game had the Albiceleste with their heart their throat, but luckily for Maradona the evening was joyful for the Gauchos.

 Veron recognized the goal came from a tactic practiced during the last weeks. Maradona surprised everyone with the regularity of team's play, and the Nigerians could hardly keep up with Argentina's creative party. Group B is going to be tough considering the two leaders are facing each other next Thursday. Nigeria will have the chance to make up for the lost time this Saturday against Greece, while Argentina will have to show their expertise against Korea.

 

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