Argentina lived up to their status as serious contenders for the 2010 World Cup title on Saturday, knocking off African hopefuls Nigeria 1-0 in Diego Maradona's successful return to football's biggest stage, DPA reported.
In a Group B encounter at Ellis Park Stadium, Gabriel Heinze scored the only goal of the game in the sixth minute for Argentina. The South Americans dominated much of the game but failed to grab a second goal and sweat out the tight victory.
Argentina are atop the group along with South Korea with three points while Nigeria and Greece have zero points after the first match.
Nigeria hope to bounce back from the loss in their second group match against fellow opening match losers Greece. Argentina square off with South Korea - both games scheduled for June 17.