Messi works magic, Korea triumphs
Source: Agencies |
June 13, 2010, Sunday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
LIONEL Messi lit up the World Cup yesterday with a mesmerizing individual performance but profligate Argentina still only beat Nigeria 1-0 with a goal from Gabriel Heinze in Group B at Ellis Park, Johannesburg.
Heinze headed home a Juan Sebastian Veron corner as early as the sixth minute but it was Messi who took center-stage with his jinking runs and fiery shooting.
He had a superb chip tipped over by Nigerian goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama for the corner, taken by Juan Sebastian Veron, from which left back Heinze put Argentina ahead with a diving header into the roof of the net from close to the penalty spot.
Midway through the first half, in a trademark cut inside from the right, the little ace shot to the far low corner only for Enyeama to dive and turn the ball away.
Messi threatened again near the end of the half, curling a lovely shot towards Enyeama's top right corner with the keeper leaping to tip the ball wide.
Argentina coach Diego Maradona attracted almost as much attention from the cameras, spending the entire game ranting and raving on the sidelines.
Nigeria also had chances with striker Chinedu Obasi going close with the match less than two minutes old after one of a string of errors in defense by right wing-back Jonas Gutierrez.
Obasi again threatened close to the half hour, shooting low across the goal with keeper Sergio Romero rooted to the spot and Yakubu Aiyegbeni failing to make contact in the middle.
Nigeria sought to hit Argentina with quick counter-attacks profiting from erratic passing by the South Americans. With 20 minutes to go left back Taye Taiwo hit a low shot from outside the box that beat Romero but went just wide of the far post.
Argentina joins South Korea, which beat Greece 2-0 earlier, on three points at the top of the group.
The Koreans chalked up the first win of this year's World Cup over a Greece side that paid the price for defensive frailties in Port Elizabeth.
The Koreans, who reached the semifinals in 2002 as co-hosts, scored a goal in each half to deliver a strong message to their group rivals with a slick and confident performance to mark their eighth appearance in the finals.
Lee Jung-soo and captain Park Ji-sung netted in each half to give South Korea only their second World Cup win on foreign soil and left Greece struggling to advance.
The Koreans defended solidly against the aerial threat of the Greek players, who bombarded them with lofted passes that yielded few chances for a country that has lost every game it has played at the finals without scoring.
The 2004 European champion was besieged by a torrent of South Korean attacks, with the energetic European-based duo Cha Du-ri and Park Chu-young outrunning their opponents and proving a handful for the Greeks.
"We played to win and our players worked really hard," said South Korea coach Huh Jung-moo, the first Korean to manage a World Cup side since 1998. "The team played well and the flow of the game was very good."
South Korea has dominated the Asian game and arrived in South Africa determined to reverse its mediocre World Cup form with a team built around its more-experienced players based in Europe.
Greece coach Otto Rehhagel had on Friday warned his players they would pay for slip-ups against a team with abounding fitness and counter-attacking intentions.
"In the second half we made two huge mistakes," he said. "I knew the Koreans would be very fast, very swift and they would run the extra mile to get the ball. It was a well-deserved win."
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