I am not too sure if Arsene Wenger was at the Ellis Park stadium, venue of that game but I was dead certain he was in South Africa at the time.
After 90 minutes, the score stood at 1-0 to the Argentines. No surprise there.
The real surprise was that only one goal was recorded at the end of hostilities. Argentine paraded the unstoppable Messi, the hungry Tevez, the sleek Higuan and still had something left in the tank to roll out marauding Aguero as they pummelled the bemused Nigerians. Still for all their human weaponry, they only conjured one goal.
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| All eyes on you, son |
The man responsible for that 'respectable defeat' was the Nigerian goalie, Vincent Enyeama, who faced up to all of the Argentine attackers and repelled them. Wave after wave of Argentine onslaught threatened to bury the Nigerians. Again and again, Vincent denied them.
Ironically, the lone Argentine goal that evaded him and found the net was a diving, kamikaze-type header from defender Gabriel Heinze.
I remember reading it somewhere that if Wenger was watching, Vincent was the answer to his goalkeeping problems at Arsenal. I remember nodding my head in agreement with that suggestion.
Almost two months on, with all the hoo-haa over flapping Almunia and his seriously-undewhelmed understudy, Fabianski; along with the clamour for either Schwarzer and Given, my view has not changed.
Not because Vincent is a Nigerian like me. Far from it.
Anyone who has cared to study Wenger closely in all his 16years at Arsenal, will notice that he hardly, hardly ever goes with popular opinion. With the whole-world-and-its-mother calling for the signing of either Schwarzer, or Given, or both, it won't surprise me one bit if Le Professor doesn't sign any of them.
He enjoys playing the media and ambushing everyone.
27 year-old Vincent, who plays for Hapoel Tel Aviv in Israel is the sort of rabbit that Mr Wenger would enjoy pulling out of the hat. He is brave; relatively unknown; steady; commands his area well; out of the limelight and yes, cheap.
Furthermore, since 2003 when he helped Nigerian side, Enyimba to the African Champions league title and successfully defended it a year later, Vincent has remained consistently in form. It is such ability to maintain his reflexes and agility year-in, year out that may prick the interest of Wenger.
Mr Wenger thrives on such surprise packages. He gets a huge thrill out of them. He delights in them cos they maintain the Wenger-mystique and forever keeps everyone guessing. And more importantly, in most cases, he gets them right.
So, it's a little over a week before the much-trumpeted transfer window slams shut.
Trust Le Professor to be sitting, waiting and rubbing his hands in devious anticipation.
Trust him to be watching the clock and waiting for some last-minute, penny-wise deal that he will be sure to strike.
A deal that brings a very handy, little-known goalie like Vincent to the Emirates won't be out of place at all.
He may or may not go for either Schwarzer of Given. But whatever he does, trust him to yet again catch us all on the backfoot.
Watch this space.
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