Three points in the bag thanks to Gab

Who says that ball cannot be controlled? HEINZE showed it's possible!

Argentina defeated Nigeria 1-0 with a goal from one of the most unlikeliest scorers in a team so full of World Class forwards. And I think that was a key to understand this game.

We had to win it. It doesn't matter if it came on a set piece. The anxiety that comes with the World Cup debut is over now.

I'm writing this as the players are still heading to the dressing room, so you will understand I'm doing it in the heat of the moment.

But my first reaction tells me it could have been 3-0 for Argentina in the first half and could have well gone the other way in the second as Nigeria were dreadful in front of goal. It would have been unfair for them to take anything more than a draw from this, but if this match had to have a winner, make no mistake, it was always going to be Argentina.

I'm way happier with the result than with the performance. Even though I saw some really encouraging signs from a few players.

Lionel MESSI didn't take long to show he is from a different planet. He set up TEVEZ inside the area after only two minutes and started forcing goalkeeper ENYEAMA to a series of saves that earned him the man-of-the-match label.

Carlos TEVEZ showed a lot of movement and played a brilliant pass to HIGUAIN. SAMUEL was very solid at the back and so was ROMERO.

But my pick for best player in an Argentina shirt today has to go to Javier MASCHERANO. He was immense today. He is probably pushed by MESSI to get this recognition, but I think MASCHERANO stood out a little bit more according to what both players' potentials. The more I think about it and the more I remember some flashes from the game, the more I'm leaning towards give this award to MESSI, but I'm sticking to my original impression from the game. Great game, Captain Masch!

Don't get me wrong! MESSI was very much the same player we see every day play for Barcelona. If he was to play like this in every match, all we need is a little bit more production from his striking partners.

On the other side of the coin, our team didn't show much cohesion and there were some clear weak links across the starting XI.

I didn't see the Angel DI MARIA I would like to see. Just one flash of his talent when he played a brilliant one-two with MESSI in the second half.

Jonas GUTIERREZ suffered the game. He did. He never found his feet playing clearly out of position. I kept thinking he was playing as a RB (especially after HEINZE scored early on and changed the game) and he was there instead of one the best in the world in that position: Javier ZANETTI.

That said...it's not his fault that he was asked to play there and on the positive for Jonas you could say that once he joined our midfield in the second half (after BURDISSO and Maxi were introduced), he did show some good stuff.

But the lowest point in the entire team, the way I see it, was Gonzalo HIGUAIN. I like him. I really do. Don't even think for a moment that I'm saying this because I prefer Diego MILITO. Please. I'm being objective here. I'm neutral in this argument because I desperately wanted Pipita to score.

The problem is that I think we should have been 3-0 up after only 20 minutes and all the late suffering in the second half would have had no room for us. He missed a sitter early on after a great pass from MESSI and then another one when he was one-on-one with the keeper and I was getting ready to jump up and down with Felipe in my arms!

In my opinion, and that of many from what I've been reading on Twitter and Facebook, Diego took a lot longer than what he should have to introduce Diego MILITO.

The Inter striker only played 12th minutes. He couldn't deliver in a fast-break, then he set up MESSI in another brilliant one-two and he didn't have time to show anything else. Same old story for him at the national team.

We could have paid the price for not being accurate in front of goal and we have to thank that Nigeria were even worse than us at that.

I'm eager to hear what you have to say.

So far...I'm in a worse situation than that reporter Diego told he had something up his rear end! Gabriel HEINZE can tell me exactly the same thing and I wouldn't have anything to reply to him. Take a bow, Gab. You are the owner of the Jabulani! Take a bow!