2010 FIFA World Cup Group B

Last updated July 07, 2025

Group B of the 2010 FIFA World Cup began on 12 June and ended on 22 June 2010.^[1] The group consisted of Argentina, Nigeria, South Korea and Greece. It was the third time that Argentina and Nigeria had been drawn together in the same World Cup group, after 1994 (when Greece were also in the same group) and 2002. Argentina had also been paired with South Korea in 1986.

Argentina won all three of their matches, conceding just one goal, and progressed as group winners. South Korea joined them in the knockout stage by virtue of their victory over Greece in the opening match and a draw with Nigeria in the last. That point was the only one Nigeria won, having also lost to Greece in their second match.

Standings

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Argentina	3	3	0	0	7	1	+6	9	Advance to knockout stage
2	South Korea	3	1	1	1	5	6	−1	4	Advance to knockout stage
3	Greece	3	1	0	2	2	5	−3	3
4	Nigeria	3	0	1	2	3	5	−2	1

Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Tie-breaking criteria

Argentina advanced to play Mexico (runners-up of Group A) in the round of 16.
South Korea advanced to play Uruguay (winners of Group A) in the round of 16.

Matches

All times local (UTC+2)

South Korea vs Greece

In the seventh minute, Ki Sung-yong's free kick near the left corner was inadvertently flicked on by Kostas Katsouranis, before Lee Jung-soo rushed to the back post to open the scoring.^[2] The Koreans' lead was doubled through captain Park Ji-sung, who tackled Loukas Vyntra and sprinted all the way to fire a low shot into the corner of the net^[2] as they kept their 2–0 win until the final whistle.

12 June 2010

13:30

South Korea	2–0	Greece
Lee Jung-soo 7' Park Ji-sung 52'	Report

Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth

Attendance: 31,513

Referee: Michael Hester (New Zealand)^[3]

South Korea^[4]

Greece^[4]


GK	18	Jung Sung-ryong
RB	22	Cha Du-ri
CB	4	Cho Yong-hyung
CB	14	Lee Jung-soo
LB	12	Lee Young-pyo
RM	17	Lee Chung-yong	90+1'
CM	16	Ki Sung-yong	74'
CM	8	Kim Jung-woo
LM	7	Park Ji-sung (c)
SS	19	Yeom Ki-hun
CF	10	Park Chu-young	87'
Substitutions:
MF	5	Kim Nam-il	74'
FW	11	Lee Seung-yeoul	87'
MF	13	Kim Jae-sung	90+1'
Manager:
Huh Jung-moo


GK	12	Alexandros Tzorvas
RB	15	Vasilis Torosidis	56'
CB	8	Avraam Papadopoulos
CB	11	Loukas Vyntra
LB	2	Giourkas Seitaridis
RM	7	Georgios Samaras		59'
CM	6	Alexandros Tziolis
CM	21	Kostas Katsouranis
LM	10	Giorgos Karagounis (c)		46'
CF	9	Angelos Charisteas		61'
CF	17	Theofanis Gekas
Substitutions:
DF	3	Christos Patsatzoglou		46'
FW	14	Dimitris Salpingidis		59'
FW	20	Pantelis Kapetanos		61'
Manager:
Otto Rehhagel

Man of the Match:
Park Ji-sung (South Korea)

Assistant referees:
Jan Hendrik Hintz (New Zealand)^[3]
Tevita Makasini (Tonga)^[3]
Fourth official:
Martín Vázquez (Uruguay)^[3]
Fifth official:
Carlos Pastorino (Uruguay)^[3]

Argentina vs Nigeria

On six minutes, an unmarked Gabriel Heinze dived forward to head home Juan Sebastián Verón's corner kick and put Argentina 1–0 up.^[5] Lionel Messi had numerous chances for Argentina following that, but on each occasion, Nigerian goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama was able to keep the margin down to one.^[6] Enyeama's saves earned him the man of the match award. Post-match, Argentina coach Diego Maradona said he was confident his side would perform well in the future.^[6]

12 June 2010

16:00

Argentina	1–0	Nigeria
Heinze 6'	Report

Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg

Attendance: 55,686

Referee: Wolfgang Stark (Germany)^[3]

Argentina^[7]

Nigeria^[7]


GK	22	Sergio Romero
RB	17	Jonás Gutiérrez	41'
CB	2	Martín Demichelis
CB	13	Walter Samuel
LB	6	Gabriel Heinze
DM	14	Javier Mascherano (c)
RM	8	Juan Sebastián Verón		74'
LM	7	Ángel Di María		85'
AM	10	Lionel Messi
CF	11	Carlos Tevez
CF	9	Gonzalo Higuaín		79'
Substitutions:
MF	20	Maxi Rodríguez		74'
FW	19	Diego Milito		79'
DF	4	Nicolás Burdisso		85'
Manager:
Diego Maradona


GK	1	Vincent Enyeama
RB	17	Chidi Odiah
CB	2	Joseph Yobo (c)
CB	6	Danny Shittu
LB	3	Taye Taiwo		75'
CM	14	Sani Kaita
CM	20	Dickson Etuhu
CM	15	Lukman Haruna	77'
RF	19	Chinedu Obasi		60'
CF	8	Yakubu
LF	18	Victor Obinna		52'
Substitutions:
FW	9	Obafemi Martins		52'
FW	11	Peter Odemwingie		60'
FW	12	Kalu Uche		75'
Manager:
Lars Lagerbäck

Man of the Match:
Vincent Enyeama (Nigeria)

Assistant referees:
Jan-Hendrik Salver (Germany)^[3]
Mike Pickel (Germany)^[3]
Fourth official:
Khalil Al Ghamdi (Saudi Arabia)^[3]
Fifth official:
Hassan Kamranifar (Iran)^[3]

Argentina vs South Korea

Argentina took the lead when Lionel Messi's free kick from the left was turned into the Korean goal by Korean player Park Chu-young.^[8] A free kick was awarded on the left, and Messi's cross was headed in by Gonzalo Higuaín. In first half injury time, Korea cut the deficit when Lee Chung-yong tackled Martín Demichelis to score.^[8] Two goals from Argentina in the second half sealed a 4–1 win. Messi's shot was first saved by goalkeeper Jung Sung-ryong; his second shot hit the post before Higuaín shot the ball into an unguarded net.^[9] Higuaín completed his hat-trick by heading in a cross from substitute Sergio Agüero.^[9]

17 June 2010

13:30

Argentina	4–1	South Korea
Park Chu-young 17' (o.g.) Higuaín 33', 76', 80'	Report	Lee Chung-yong 45+1'

Soccer City, Johannesburg

Attendance: 82,174

Referee: Frank De Bleeckere (Belgium)^[10]

Argentina^[11]

South Korea^[11]


GK	22	Sergio Romero
RB	17	Jonás Gutiérrez	54'
CB	2	Martín Demichelis
CB	13	Walter Samuel		23'
LB	6	Gabriel Heinze	74'
DM	14	Javier Mascherano (c)	55'
RM	20	Maxi Rodríguez
LM	7	Ángel Di María
AM	10	Lionel Messi
CF	9	Gonzalo Higuaín		82'
CF	11	Carlos Tevez		75'
Substitutions:
DF	4	Nicolás Burdisso		23'
FW	16	Sergio Agüero		75'
MF	5	Mario Bolatti		82'
Manager:
Diego Maradona


GK	18	Jung Sung-ryong
RB	2	Oh Beom-seok
CB	4	Cho Yong-hyung
CB	14	Lee Jung-soo
LB	12	Lee Young-pyo
CM	16	Ki Sung-yong		46'
CM	8	Kim Jung-woo
RW	17	Lee Chung-yong	34'
AM	7	Park Ji-sung (c)
LW	19	Yeom Ki-hun	10'
CF	10	Park Chu-young		81'
Substitutions:
MF	5	Kim Nam-il		46'
FW	20	Lee Dong-gook		81'
Manager:
Huh Jung-moo

Man of the Match:
Gonzalo Higuaín (Argentina)

Assistant referees:
Peter Hermans (Belgium)^[10]
Walter Vromans (Belgium)^[10]
Fourth official:
Jerome Damon (South Africa)^[10]
Fifth official:
Céléstin Ntagungira (Rwanda)^[10]

Greece vs Nigeria

17 June 2010

16:00

Greece	2–1	Nigeria
Salpingidis 44' Torosidis 71'	Report	Uche 16'

Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein

Attendance: 31,593

Referee: Óscar Ruiz (Colombia)^[10]

Greece^[12]

Nigeria^[12]


GK	12	Alexandros Tzorvas
RB	16	Sotirios Kyrgiakos
CB	11	Loukas Vyntra
CB	8	Avraam Papadopoulos
LB	15	Vasilis Torosidis
DM	19	Sokratis Papastathopoulos	15'	37'
CM	6	Alexandros Tziolis	59'
CM	21	Kostas Katsouranis
RW	10	Giorgos Karagounis (c)
LW	14	Dimitris Salpingidis
CF	17	Theofanis Gekas		79'
Substitutions:
FW	7	Georgios Samaras	88'	37'
MF	18	Sotiris Ninis		79'
Manager:
Otto Rehhagel


GK	1	Vincent Enyeama
RB	17	Chidi Odiah
CB	2	Joseph Yobo (c)
CB	6	Danny Shittu
LB	3	Taye Taiwo		55'
RM	14	Sani Kaita	33'
CM	20	Dickson Etuhu
CM	15	Lukman Haruna
LW	12	Kalu Uche
SS	11	Peter Odemwingie		46'
CF	8	Yakubu
Substitutions:
FW	19	Chinedu Obasi	89'	46'
DF	21	Elderson Echiéjilé		55'	77'
DF	5	Rabiu Afolabi			77'
Manager:
Lars Lagerbäck

Man of the Match:
Vincent Enyeama (Nigeria)

Assistant referees:
Abraham González (Colombia)^[10]
Humberto Clavijo (Colombia)^[10]
Fourth official:
Joel Aguilar (El Salvador)^[10]
Fifth official:
William Torres (El Salvador)^[10]

Nigeria vs South Korea

22 June 2010

20:30

Nigeria	2–2	South Korea
Uche 12' Yakubu 69' (pen.)	Report	Lee Jung-soo 38' Park Chu-young 49'

Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban

Attendance: 61,874

Referee: Olegário Benquerença (Portugal)

Nigeria^[13]

South Korea^[13]


GK	1	Vincent Enyeama	31'
RB	17	Chidi Odiah
CB	2	Joseph Yobo		46'
CB	6	Danny Shittu
LB	5	Rabiu Afolabi
CM	13	Ayila Yussuf	42'
CM	20	Dickson Etuhu
RW	19	Chinedu Obasi	37'
AM	4	Nwankwo Kanu (c)		57'
LW	12	Kalu Uche
CF	8	Yakubu		70'
Substitutions:
DF	21	Elderson Echiéjilé		46'
FW	9	Obafemi Martins		57'
FW	18	Victor Obinna		70'
Manager:
Lars Lagerbäck


GK	18	Jung Sung-ryong
RB	22	Cha Du-ri
CB	4	Cho Yong-hyung
CB	14	Lee Jung-soo
LB	12	Lee Young-pyo
RM	17	Lee Chung-yong
CM	16	Ki Sung-yong		87'
CM	8	Kim Jung-woo
LM	7	Park Ji-sung (c)
SS	19	Yeom Ki-hun		64'
CF	10	Park Chu-young		90+3'
Substitutions:
MF	5	Kim Nam-il	68'	64'
MF	13	Kim Jae-sung		87'
DF	15	Kim Dong-jin		90+3'
Manager:
Huh Jung-moo

Man of the Match:
Park Ji-sung (South Korea)

Assistant referees:
José Cardinal (Portugal)
Bertino Miranda (Portugal)
Fourth official:
Marco Antonio Rodríguez (Mexico)
Fifth official:
José Luis Camargo (Mexico)

Greece vs Argentina

22 June 2010

20:30

Greece	0–2	Argentina
	Report	Demichelis 77' Palermo 89'

Peter Mokaba Stadium, Polokwane

Attendance: 38,891

Referee: Ravshan Irmatov (Uzbekistan)

Greece^[14]

Argentina^[14]


GK	12	Alexandros Tzorvas
RB	16	Sotirios Kyrgiakos
CB	11	Loukas Vyntra
CB	8	Avraam Papadopoulos
LB	15	Vasilis Torosidis		55'
DM	5	Vangelis Moras
CM	19	Sokratis Papastathopoulos
CM	10	Giorgos Karagounis (c)		46'
RW	6	Alexandros Tziolis
LW	21	Kostas Katsouranis	30'	54'
CF	7	Georgios Samaras
Substitutions:
DF	4	Nikos Spiropoulos		46'
MF	18	Sotiris Ninis		54'
MF	3	Christos Patsatzoglou		55'
Manager:
Otto Rehhagel


GK	22	Sergio Romero
RB	4	Nicolás Burdisso
CB	2	Martín Demichelis
CB	15	Nicolás Otamendi
LB	3	Clemente Rodríguez
DM	5	Mario Bolatti	76'
RM	8	Juan Sebastián Verón
LM	20	Maxi Rodríguez		63'
AM	10	Lionel Messi (c)
CF	16	Sergio Agüero		77'
CF	19	Diego Milito		80'
Substitutions:
MF	7	Ángel Di María		63'
MF	23	Javier Pastore		77'
FW	18	Martín Palermo		80'
Manager:
Diego Maradona

Man of the Match:
Lionel Messi (Argentina)

Assistant referees:
Rafael Ilyasov (Uzbekistan)
Bakhadyr Kochkarov (Kyrgyzstan)
Fourth official:
Peter O'Leary (New Zealand)
Fifth official:
Matthew Taro (Solomon Islands)

References

↑ "Match Schedule 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa" (PDF). FIFA.com (Press release). Fédération Internationale de Football Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 December 2009. Retrieved 6 December 2009.
1 2 "South Korea 2-0 Greece".
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Referee designations for matches 1-16" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 5 June 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 July 2010. Retrieved 5 June 2010.
1 2 "Tactical Line-up – Group B – Korea Republic-Greece" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 12 June 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 July 2010. Retrieved 13 June 2010.
↑ Dawkes, Phil. "Argentina 1-0 Nigeria". BBC. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
1 2 "Argentina 1-0 Nigeria | World Cup 2010 Group B". 12 June 2010.
1 2 "Tactical Line-up – Group B – Argentina-Nigeria" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 12 June 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 July 2010. Retrieved 13 June 2010.
1 2 "Argentina 4-1 South Korea | World Cup 2010 match report". 17 June 2010.
1 2 "Argentina 4-1 South Korea".
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Referee designations for matches 17-24" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 14 June 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 July 2010. Retrieved 15 June 2010.
1 2 "Tactical Line-up – Group B – Argentina-Korea Republic" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 17 June 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 July 2010. Retrieved 17 June 2010.
1 2 "Tactical Line-up – Group B – Greece-Nigeria" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 17 June 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 July 2012. Retrieved 17 June 2010.
1 2 "Tactical Line-up – Group B – Nigeria-Korea Republic" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 22 June 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 July 2010. Retrieved 22 June 2010.
1 2 "Tactical Line-up – Group B – Greece-Argentina" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 22 June 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 July 2010. Retrieved 22 June 2010.

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[1] "Match Schedule 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa" (PDF). FIFA.com (Press release). Fédération Internationale de Football Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 December 2009. Retrieved 6 December 2009.

[news.bbc.co.uk-2] 1 2 "South Korea 2-0 Greece".

[referees_1-16-3] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Referee designations for matches 1-16" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 5 June 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 July 2010. Retrieved 5 June 2010.

[kor-gre_line-ups-4] 1 2 "Tactical Line-up – Group B – Korea Republic-Greece" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 12 June 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 July 2010. Retrieved 13 June 2010.

[5] Dawkes, Phil. "Argentina 1-0 Nigeria". BBC. Retrieved 28 August 2019.

[theguardian.com-6] 1 2 "Argentina 1-0 Nigeria | World Cup 2010 Group B". 12 June 2010.

[arg-nga_line-ups-7] 1 2 "Tactical Line-up – Group B – Argentina-Nigeria" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 12 June 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 July 2010. Retrieved 13 June 2010.

[ReferenceA-8] 1 2 "Argentina 4-1 South Korea | World Cup 2010 match report". 17 June 2010.

[ReferenceB-9] 1 2 "Argentina 4-1 South Korea".

[referees_17-24-10] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Referee designations for matches 17-24" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 14 June 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 July 2010. Retrieved 15 June 2010.

[arg-kor_line-ups-11] 1 2 "Tactical Line-up – Group B – Argentina-Korea Republic" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 17 June 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 July 2010. Retrieved 17 June 2010.

[gre-nga_line-ups-12] 1 2 "Tactical Line-up – Group B – Greece-Nigeria" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 17 June 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 July 2012. Retrieved 17 June 2010.

[nga-kor_line-ups-13] 1 2 "Tactical Line-up – Group B – Nigeria-Korea Republic" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 22 June 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 July 2010. Retrieved 22 June 2010.

[gre-arg_line-ups-14] 1 2 "Tactical Line-up – Group B – Greece-Argentina" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 22 June 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 July 2010. Retrieved 22 June 2010.

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v t e 2010 FIFA World Cup
Stages	Group stage Group A Group B Group C Group D Group E Group F Group G Group H Knockout stage Final
General information	Qualification Broadcasting rights Controversies Event effects Officials Opening ceremony Seeding Squads
Symbols and animals	Adidas Jabulani Mani the parakeet Official album Official video game Paul the Octopus Vuvuzela Zakumi
Other	Breakaway

v t e 2010 FIFA World Cup finalists
Champions	Spain
Runners-up	Netherlands
Third place	Germany
Fourth place	Uruguay
Quarter-finals	Argentina Brazil Ghana Paraguay
Round of 16	Chile England Japan Mexico Portugal Slovakia South Korea United States
Group stage	Algeria Australia Cameroon Denmark France Greece Honduras Italy Ivory Coast New Zealand Nigeria North Korea Serbia Slovenia South Africa Switzerland