JOHANNESBURG // The Argentina fans, swinging their blue and white scarves above their heads under the bitter cold South African sky, appeared content with the World Cup managerial debut of Diego Maradona as the final whistle rang around Ellis Park. Ever since the Albicelestes secured qualification for this month's showpiece, rising interest has gathered over how Maradona's preferred line-up and tactical decisions would pan out.
Indeed, as the team lined up alongside Nigeria for the national anthems, there was swarm of photographers surrounding the Argentina technical area. Jose Mourinho, the Portuguese who won the Champions League last season with Inter Milan, is a master at diverting the attention from his players on to himself. Maradona achieves it without trying. Against Nigeria last night, the novice tactician chose an attack-minded team with both big-game experience and youthful exuberance: the 35-year-old Juan Sebastian Veron was deployed in a central position drifting right, while Angel Di Maria, the highly rated 22-year-old Benfica winger, stayed out left, creating chances for a three-pronged attack of Lionel Messi, Carlos Tevez and Gonzalo Higuain.
His strategy paid dividends with Gabriel Heinze opening the scoring after only six minutes. As Heinze ran for the technical area, Maradona found himself swamped in staff, but when the game was ready to kick off again, the coach - having swapped his pre-match tracksuit for a neat grey two-piece with white shirt and silver tie - was still celebrating. The 50-year-old pumped his fists, screamed at - and no doubt for - the nearby camera and turned to his substitutes motioning for them to show the same excitement.
Minutes later he was being warned by the fourth official for encroaching on the pitch - a warning he would be given twice more in the first half. While Argentina continued to create chances - Messi alone could have had a hat-trick were it not for man of the match Vincent Enyeama, Nigeria's goalkeeper - they failed to score again and with 20 minutes to go, the Super Eagles maintained belief they could go home with a point.
Nigeria soon found themselves in the ascendancy as Argentina backed off and the chants of the Albicelestes fans were replaced instead by the drone of the vuvuzelas. Maradona heeded the noise of the horns and made his first of three changes and, by the time the final whistle arrived, he was prowling the technical box waiting for it. The tactics worked and the result was right, but the Argentine coach will realise as he headed home in the cold night that his talented quintet must be more clinical.
If they need a lesson in goal-scoring, they have the perfect man for the tutorial in "El Diego". @Email:gmeenaghan@thenational.ae