Shooting the Breeze: World Cup 2010 Day 2 - Group B
Two wins in Group B as World Cup 2010 kicked off.
Today's games in Group B showed a victory for flair and attacking football. South Korea showed just how far they progressed since they co-hosted the World Cup in 2002 by comfortably beating Greece 2-0.
The South Koreans pressurised and harried the ponderous Greeks who had no answer to their opponents. Greek coach Otto Rehhagel, now officially the oldest manager at a World Cup final, didn't appear to have a plan B after going behind. Manchester United's Park Ji Sung scored their second goal after latching onto a loose Greek clearance.
The Greeks finished the game having still never scored a goal at a World Cup finals and on the evidence of their showing today and with Nigeria and Argentina to come the record may still stand at the end of the tournament.
Argentina have been hotly tipped as potential World Cup winners and they certainly had enough chances to bury a subdued Nigeria side who were kept in the game by 'keeper Vincent 'The Cat' Enyeama.
A string of fine saves from some of the best strikers in the world should have talent scouts on alert and if his other two performances are as good during the group games then he might expect to be snapped up by a top flight club this summer.
Enyeama was beaten only by an early set piece corner which was converted by former Manchester United defender Gabriel Heinze. The rest of the game was an exhibition of football from Argentina.
One thing for South Korea and Greece to look out for, however, is Argentine coach Diego Maradona's strange selection of Newcastle United's Jonas Gutierrez at right back. Gutierrez is one of Maradona's first three names on his team sheet after Javier Mascherano and Lionel Messi but a right back berth for the winger ought to be seen as a possible weakness to be exploited by any team they face at the World Cup.
