Iran-Nigeria register first goalless draw of WC 2014
Iran-Nigeria register first goalless draw of WC 2014
Iran and Nigeria were forced to settle for the first draw of the 2014 World Cup on Monday as there were no goals in Curitiba, reports Goal.com.
Nigeria dominated possession in the Group F fixture at Arena da Baixada – particularly in the first half – but a disciplined defensive performance from the Iranians ensured the spoils were shared.
After a handful of early chances, the African nation failed to make the most of their pressure, seeing attacking moves fail in the final third time and again.
And Iran, whose best chance to score came courtesy of a first-half header from Reza Ghoochannejad, saw their persistence pay off as they held on for a point.
Argentina now lead the group by two points after their 2-1 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina on Sunday.
Nigeria named Fenerbahce frontman Emmanuel Emenike as their sole striker, but it was winger Victor Moses who got the first sight of goal, drilling a tame effort comfortably into the arms of goalkeeper Alireza Haghighi.
The Africa Cup of Nations champions had the ball in the back of the net from a corner in the eighth minute, but the whistle had already blown as Haghighi was somewhat fortuitously awarded a free-kick after a coming together with John Obi Mikel.
Iran were struggling to get a foothold in the match, and Ogenyi Onazi was next to fire a warning signal by sending the ball dribbling wide of the left-hand upright.
For all their possession, Nigeria were not working the Iran stopper hard enough and Stephen Keshi was forced to bring Joseph Yobo on for Godfrey Oboabona on the half-hour mark after the defender had earlier landed awkwardly in an aerial challenge with Ghoochannejad.
Iran – growing in confidence as the half progressed - almost punished their opponents’ profligacy four minutes later when a Ghoochannejad header from a corner forced Vincent Enyeama into a reflex save.
Keshi threw on Shola Ameobi seven minutes into the second half in a bid to give Nigeria more cutting edge in the final third, but it continued to be a tale of frustration as clear-cut chances continued to elude his side.
Iran had never previously kept a clean sheet at the World Cup finals, and their defensive approach drew whistles and heckles from fans in the green and white Nigeria.
Goalscoring chances became an increasingly rare occurrence and Nigeria will see this as a huge chance wasted with matches against Bosnia and Herzegovina and Argentina to follow.
Iran’s next fixture is against group leaders Argentina on Saturday.
Man of the Match: John Obi Mikel (NGA)
Match commentary - as it happened
Full time in Brazil. Nigeria and Iran do their best to ruin all the fun of the opening games of the World Cup as they play out a truly woeful 0-0 draw in Group F. Nigeria had the majority of the possession but desperately lacked quality in the final third, while Iran showed little to no desire to push ahead and attack, despite their defence solidity.
90` Two minutes of added time coming up.
89` Substitution: Khosro Heydari out, Masoud in.
89` Great defending by Pooladi! Oshaniwa gets to the byline and whips a cross to the back post for Ameobi, who looks poised to head into the empty net, but the Iran left-back stretches up to glance behind!
87` We still have time for someone to prove themselves a hero, but the way the game is going Iran are not going to be breached, especially with the lack of pace and tempo in the match.
85` It is quite difficult to assess the performance of Iran. They have clearly set out to play defensively and claim the draw or perhaps a narrow 1-0 win, but should this be the tactic against the only side in the group you have a realistic chance of defeating? Defensively sound, but no desire to attack.
83` If both sides play like this for the remainder of their time in the tournament then we could probably just write-off Group F already and award Argentina and Bosnia and Herzegovina a path through to the knockout stages. A desperate lack of quality on show in the final third.
81` Odemwingie darts inside from the right wing and takes an assured touch on his chest before rasping a volley wide of the post. It was a cracking attempt, but the ref had already blew the whistle for a harsh handball on the Stoke man.
79` We really are running out of negative adjectives to describe just how poor Nigeria have been in the final third. Every two minutes there appears to be an opening, but any potential attack is ruined by a misjudged cross or pass.
78` Substitution: Ashkan Dejagah out, Alireza Jahanbakhsh in.
78` Carlos Queiroz makes his first change of the match as it sees Dejagah replaced by Alireza Jahanbakhsh.
76` Iran nearly snatch a goal against the run of play! Dejagah breaks away to the back post and looks to have all the time in the world to pick a header at goal, but instead looks to head back inside, allowing Nigeria to clear! A potential wake up call for the Super Eagles!
75` Yellow Card Andranik
74` Onazi initially does well to feign to shoot and sweep the ball past Nekounam, who dived in far too easily, but then the subsequent shot on goal in incredibly tame and trickles into the arms of the grateful Haghighi.
72` A draw here does not really suite either side. You would expect Argentina to go ahead and top the group and Bosnia and Herzegovina put in a very strong performance against Lionel Messi and and his team-mates, so every point for these two nations is sure to be crucial to their cause.
70` AMEOBI!! JUST WIDE!! The referee had actually already blew the whistle but the substitute just got beyond the Iran defence to glance a header a whisker wide! Just a small warning to the Asian nation there!
69` Substitution: Ramon Azeez out, Peter Odemwingie in.
68` Keshi makes his third and final change here and it is another positive one as Azeez comes off to be replaced by Stoke striker, Peter Odemwingie. Three forward on for the Super Eagles now; they realise this is probably a must win game!
66` Like the small period in the first half, Iran are just enjoying a small period of dominance here as they look to pose a threat in the final third. They do have some quality up top but Ghoochannejhad has been pretty isolated. Let's see how positive they will be in the remaining minutes.
64` Mikel collects the ball in the middle of the park once again and instead of picking out a signature sideways pass he opts to have a crack at goal from 30 yards, but Nekounam and Andranik close down well to block the route to the net.
62` The Nigerian fans are just starting to air their frustrations now as the boo they lumbering and lackadaisical passing of their side in the middle of the park. They want to be entertained, and it's just not happening.
60` An hour gone in the Arena da Baixada as Nigeria and Iran both look to open up their goalscoring accounts at the World Cup. There is definite quality among the ranks of both sides but none being shown so far. Still plenty of time for someone to claim the win though!
58` That's just woeful from Emenike. The Fenerbahce forward gets a rare sight of goal in the inside right channel but terribly slices his strike a few yards wide of the right-hand post. Just about sums about the performance of the African side so far!
56` Heydari gets down the right-hand side on the overlap and sends a high cross into the box. Ghoochannejhad looks poised to head at goal but he is foiled by Enyeama, who comes off his line to make a commanding catch.
54` Unfortunately it doesn't appear as if any side has received a new lease of life after their half time break. Keshi has been positive with his second change though so we'll see if Ameobi can make an impact. Could potentially signal a more direct approach going forward though.
52` Substitution: Victor Moses out, Shola Ameobi in.
51` Dejagah receives the ball to feet and turns sharply past Yobo but the former Everton defender rather cynically hauls him to the ground. The Iranian dusts himself off to take the set-piece just inside the centre circle.
49` Victor Moses looks to stretch his legs down the right wing and looks to exchange a one-two with Azeez, but the return pass is extremely poor and the ball goes out of play for an Iran throw in.
47` Really good defending from Pouladi. Emenike collects the ball in midfield and opens up his powerful stride to take the ball past a few challenges, but is eventually stopped in his tracks by the Iran left-back, who ushers him out of the way to win possession.
Half time in Curitiba. No side at the World Cup has failed to score so far but the way this game is going we may buck this encouraging trend here as the match between Nigeria and Iran. The Asian side had the best chance to open the scoring through a chance for Ghoochannejhad, but his header was well-saved by Enyeama. Nigeria have been dominant in possession, but very little penetration from either side. Here's hoping both sides buck up their ideas in the next 45 minutes of play!
45` Two minutes of added time has been signalled by the fourth official. Can either side make their manager's team talk much easier at half time by opening the scoring here?!
43` Musa pops up on the right wing this time but still doesn't seem to get any joy hitting the byline even though he is now on the opposite flank. He does manage to squeeze a cross into the box, but it is flat and easily cleared.
41` Iran fail to capitalise on a period of dominance in the final third and Nigeria counterattack at pace down the right-hand side through Onazi and Ambrose, but as the Lazio man receives the ball back he puts a speculative cross into the box, which is easily cleared.
39` Emenike initially does well to shake off the attentions of Montazeri to collect to feet and sharply cut inside, but he ends up snatching a strike wide of the post from 25 yards. Both sides a little guilty of trying to force the issue.
37` Much like the opening few minutes, things are just a little too scrappy in the middle of the park now. Neither Iran or Nigeria are managing to string more than four passes together; instead opting to the ball over the top of the defence. Tactic not coming off as of yet.
35` As I mentioned earlier, Nigeria are far from comfortable at defending set-pieces, and were nearly undone from a corner kick! Bailed out by a great save from their highly capable goalkeeper, Enyeama.
34` SAAAAAAVE FROM ENYEAMA!! The corner kick is floated into the middle and Ghoochannejhad bullets a header towards goal, but the Nigerian keeper reacts brilliantly to beat the attempt away! Biggest chance of the match so far!
33` We've finally seen a foray into the final third from Iran as Mikel is dispossessed near the corner flag and Dejagah earns their first corner kick of the match out of Yobo. The Asian side just on the ascendancy here!
31` That's nearly terrific from Musa!!! The CSKA Moscow star looks as if he is going to float a free kick into the box from the left-hand side, but instead goes for goal with an audacious attempt towards the bottom corner. Haghighi actually does really well to get across goal to palm behind for the corner!
30` It seems your gracious writer spoke too soon. Oboabona wont be able to continue after picking up that ankle injury, and will be replaced in the heart of the Nigerian defence by Joseph Yobo.
29` Substitution: Godfrey Oboabona out, Joseph Yobo in.
29` Well there's no doubting the Iran tactics here. Omeruo had the ball at the back for a good 15 seconds before releasing and wasn't put under any pressure whatsoever from an opposition player. With the exception of Ghoochannejhad, every Iranian is camped in their own half.
27` Oshaniwa stretches his legs down the left wing and looks to exchange a one-two with Musa. The latter, instead of returning the pass, cuts back inside and looks to whip a cross to the back post, but he put far too much on it, and the Iran get the goal kick.
25` After some attention from the physios it looks like Oboabona has shook off that injury and is able to continue. That'll be a boost for Nigeria as the young defender certainly impressed in qualifying, so will be looking to star on the big stage for his country.
23` A speculative ball is played down the left-hand side and Emenike looks to bully Hosseini, but the Iranian flexes his muscles himself and holds off the challenge of the Nigerian. Really good defending, and Iran now look to move the play up the park.
21` Some worrying scenes for Nigeria at the moment as Oboabona is currently down injured after going down terribly awkwardly on his ankle. He's been taken off on a stretcher but no sign of a replacement yet as Keshi and his staff assess the damage.
19` Mikel takes a heavy touch in the middle of the park and is very nearly dispossessed by Ghoochannejhad. The Chelsea man comes out of the initial challenge unscathed but is then taken out in the middle of the park by Nekounam, and Nigeria get the foul.
17` Ambrose collects the ball on the right-hand side and easily skips past Dejagah before standing a teasing cross to the back post, but Haghighi is more commanding in his goalkeeping this time and comes off his line to pull the ball out of the air.
15` After a brief period of excitement from Iran, we have reverted back to Nigerian dominance as the African side boss the midfield and surrounding areas. Only the one real chance to speak of so far though, which was missed by Onazi.
13` Iran get their first opportunity to capitalise on their set-piece prowess as Hajsafi whips a free kick in from the right-hand side. Ghoochannejhad gets on the end of it but can't direct his header at goal to trouble Enyeama.
11` As perhaps expected, it is all Nigeria at the moment as Keshi's men look to establish their dominance early on. The Iranian's are getting plenty of men behind the ball, but it is gifting Mikel and Onazi all the time in the world to operate in central midfield.
9` Onazi was down for a minute or so after missing that chance after a collision with Sadeghi, but the Lazio man is now pack on the field after receiving treatment and looks to have shook off any potential injury.
8` The African side are having plenty of joy down this left-hand side here! The Iran right-back, Montazeri, is being given a torrid time by Moses and the drifting runs of Emenike! The latter manages to pass inside for Onazi, who gets into the danger area but fails to get enough purchase on his poked strike wide of the post!
7` Well Nigeria manage to get the ball into the back of the Iranian net as Musa latches on to a corner at the back post to stick home, but the whistle had already gone for a foul on Haghighi. That wasn't the most convincing goalkeeping there, and he was lucky to get away with winning the foul!
5` Mikel goes long with a searching pass for Emenike, but the Fenerbahce striker fails to shake off the attentions of the central defenders, which allows the keeper to come off the line to claim. A lot of long balls being played in the early stages as Nigeria look to heap on the pressure in the opening minutes.
3` Moses drives down the left-hand side and typically cuts in on his favoured right foot before testing the gloves of Haghighi with a speculative strike from the edge of the box. The Iranian collects comfortably.
2` It's been a scrappy opening here. We are not even two minutes in and we've twice already seen a ball humped 30 feet in the air with a panicked clearance from Iran. Both teams still to find their feet. Just need to shake off the pre-match nerves!
Nigeria (4-2-3-1): Enyeama; Ambrose, Omeruo, Oboabona, Oshaniwa; Onazi, Mikel; Musa, Azeez, Moses; Emenike
Iran (4-4-1-1): Haghighi; Montazeri, Hosseini, Sadeghi, Pouladi; Heydari, Nekounam, Teymourian, Hajsafi; Dejagah; Ghoochannejhad
Commentary & Report: Goal dot com