2002 FIFA World Cup (tm) Finals - Results & Fixtures - Argentina vs Nigeria

2 Jun 2002


Argentina	1 - 0	Nigeria
	(HT: 0 - 0)

Game Details
Venue Ibaraki Kashima Stadium	Attendance 34050
Referee Gilles Veissiere (FRA) Assistant Referees Frederic Arnault (FRA) Heiner Muller (GER)

Game Events
#	Date	Player	Event	Period	Mins	H/A
1	2 Jun 2002	Claudio Javier Lopez	Player Out	Second Half	1	H
2	2 Jun 2002	Kily Gonzalez	Substitute In	Second Half	1	H
3	2 Jun 2002	Nwankwo Kanu	Player Out	Second Half	3	A
4	2 Jun 2002	Pius Ikedia	Substitute In	Second Half	3	A
5	2 Jun 2002	Walter Adrian Samuel	Yellow Card	Second Half	6	H
6	2 Jun 2002	Gabriel Omar Batistuta	Goal	Second Half	18	H
7	2 Jun 2002	Efe Sodje	Player Out	Second Half	28	A
8	2 Jun 2002	Justice Christopher	Substitute In	Second Half	28	A
9	2 Jun 2002	Efe Sodje	Yellow Card	Second Half	28	A
10	2 Jun 2002	Juan Sebastian Veron	Player Out	Second Half	33	H
11	2 Jun 2002	Pablo Cesar Aimar	Substitute In	Second Half	33	H
12	2 Jun 2002	Gabriel Omar Batistuta	Player Out	Second Half	36	H
13	2 Jun 2002	Hernan Crespo	Substitute In	Second Half	36	H
14	2 Jun 2002	Diego Pablo Simeone	Yellow Card	Second Half	45	H

Match report

Roma striker Gabriel Batistuta gave Argentina the perfect start in their 'Group of Death' World Cup opener against a youthful Nigeria. Batistuta's strike in the 63rd minute was enough to guarantee three points for the South American firm favourites to win the first ever World Cup in Asia.
With Group F pitting Nigeria, Argentina, England and Sweden against each other a winning start was vital. It was a brilliantly taken goal by Batistuta. With the finest of angles from outside the far post, the 32-year-old headed a Juan Sebastian Veron corner past the unfortunate Ike Shorunmu who up until then had defied the multi-million dollar Italian-based attack force of Batistuta and Claudio Lopez.
"Batitusta was great today," said man-of-the-match Veron.
"It was very important we won. We are in a tough group and we still have a lot to do. Next is England and it should be a classic match," added the Manchester United star.
Batistuta's goal brought a sigh of relief from Argentinian coach Marcelo Bielsa who was making no attempt to hide his frustration as he watched a host of opportunites in the opening 45 minutes being squandered by Batistuta and Lopez. Bielsa pulled off Lopez at half-time and replaced him with Valencia's Kily Gonzalez.
"I was concerned about the lost opportunities," explained Bielsa. "It should have been a bigger victory, it would have been justified and we would feel more comfortable. But we have passed the first significant test."
Despite the switch, the 34-year-old Shorunmu appeared unbeatable, denying Ariel Ortega when he tipped a blistering shot from the River Plate midfielder over the crossbar. Midfielder Juan Pablo Sorin thought he had put Argentina in front when he let rip from just inside the area but again Shorunmu got a finger to the ball to deflect it over the bar. Batistuta, favoured over Hernan Crespo to lead the attack, should have broken the deadlock in the 46th minute when a Veron corner dropped to him as he lurked by the far post but with the goal at his mercy the AS Roma star hit the ball wide. Then came Batistuta's 63rd minute strike and Argentina had the three points they desperately needed before their next match against England on Friday.
"We played well and apart for a few instances Nigeria never really troubled us," said Batistuta.
"It was important for our confidence to win the first match. In the first half we were surprised by the heat and we did not find our rhythm but we stepped it up in the second half."
Batistuta came off 15 minutes before the end, making way for Crespo. Pablo Cavallero in the Argentina goal, was forced to show his class when Jay Jay Okocha fired in a dipping shot from just outside the area. The 28-year-old was at full-stretch to palm it past the post for a corner but it was a rare moment of action for the Celta Vigo keeper.
Okocha refused to be downheartened by the defeat.
"Against this team I don't think we could have done any better. We have a new team and it was our first major match," said the Nigerian captain. "We are keeping our heads high, knowing what potential we have. We will give our all in the next match against Sweden even though it will be another difficult match."
Only minutes before the kick-off Argentina were forced to make a late change when captain Roberto Ayala injured himself in the warm-up. Bayer Leverkusen's Diego Placente stood in for him with Veron taking over the captain's role. Nigeria suffered a major blow when Arsenal's Nwankwo Kanu was stretched off after only 11 minutes when he fell badly, twisting his left knee. The 25-year-old limped back on after treatment but was clearly suffering and one minute into the second-half was forced to go off. He was replaced by Pius Ikedia.

(courtesy of dailysoccer)




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Page created by Christakis Ioannou on 2 June 2002 19:22:07.