The-Shot.Net Writers Club - Nigeria

Jan 27 1300 GMT Nigeria - Morocco 0:1 (final score)

Before the match:
Everything in the groups preview (new window)

1st half:
-Nigeria in green (adidas), Morocco in white (nike)
-Nigeria begin with passing the ball around, they want to get familiar with the ball and the game, Morocco with attacking them agressively, the North Africans look determined and focussed, play into attack immediately
-('7) Moroccan talent Zairi provokes a foul by Yobo, who sees the yellow card early
-good attacking attempts, fine defending, the lack of goal scenes is a sign for a low error rate, not a low quality.
-('15) Nigeria: brilliant pass by Okocha on Aghahowa who seeks to provoke a foul by his opponent in the penalty area and gets punished with a harsh yellow card
-this is top class, errorfree football so far, although without clearcut chances, only thing missing is the Premier league atmosphere
-('19) Morocco: just said this, an error by Nigerian defender Okoronkwo allows Zairi to escape, make a perfect cross for #17 who can make his header unchallenged, but what should have been the first goal flies wide by centimeters
-('27) Morocco: Zairi wins a header after a corner but wide
-('29) a couple of at least half dangerous Moroccan corners, eventually defended successfully
-('31) Morocco: The duels of Zairi with the Nigerian defenders are the highlights so far, this time the Nigerian defender wins
-on the other side the Moroccan defence, led by Naybet, has control over the Nigerian striking force with Utaka, Yakubo (Ayegbeni), Aghahowa, and Kanu. Okocha is trying with long passes but the defence perfectly shuts down danger zone spaces
-the Nigerians lack creative passing sequences,a clear sign of that the late arrival of the superstars has had bad effect on their preparational level
-('36) Nigeria: Okoronkwo(?) slices up the defence on the right wing but his cross is too long fro the attackers armada jumping for it in the middle
-('41) Morocco: fine quick attack by Morocco, Yobo rescues against the cross. the insuing corner gets dangerous as the Nigerian goalkeeper fails to grab it
-Nigeria quite often now try with long crosses but the Moroccan defenders seem to win all headers
-('45 2) operfect Moroccan offside trap stops Yakubo
-('45 3) Nigeria: a correct decision disallows an offside goal by Aghahowa
halftime 0:0
A perfect Moroccan defence frustrated Nigeria, who looked more and more uninspired towards the end of the half. Apparently the Moroccans have had more time with other to prepare. They do a lot of running to shut down spaces when Nigeria in possession and a lot of running to create spaces when they are in possession themselves. They are dangerous through talent Zairi but the Nigerian defence has allowed few goal scenes, too, though Morocco had more of them.
Nigeria tried to combinate, though obviously have not practised which each other a lot because the late arrival of the English professionals. Towards the end of the half frustrated, they tried more with long crosses but the Moroccan defenders have had the clear superiority in the air.
A match with a limited entertainment factor but on a high level of skills.

2nd half:
-the second half begins with some bad passing on both sides
-(''49) Morocco: Mokhtari is given some space, 25 meters to the goal, he volleys, but 10 meters wide
-('51) Naybet is quick enough to stop Yakubo in the last moment after the Nigerian striker had beaten the offside trap
-Nigerias passing game lacks automatisms. So the players have to look first before they pass. This slows downtheir game. But the Moroccan defenders are too concentrated to beat them such way. It only remains to be seen how long the North Africans can keep up theat running and concentration level
-('54) A rare Nigerian breakthrough, Aghahowa perfectly sets up Yakubo, but the Portsmouth striker stumbeles and can't get the ball under control
-('56) Nigeria with another rare counter situation, 2 vs.3. Morocco can defend the through ball by Utaka, but he gets the ball back and unleashes a dangerous attempt on goal which the Moroccan keeper parries
-('58) Morocco: a corner gets defended but a second attempt finds Taher? whose dangerous shot gets blocked
-('60) Morocco: Exhausted zairi is replaced by Youssef Hadji, the younger brother? of the former moroccan star
-('61) Nigeria: Utaka with a dive, but he does not see yellow
-('64) again great artistery: One of the long throw ins by Okocha, headed on, and cleared by a bycicle kick like volley
-defences in control: not only Nigeria, now Morocco, too, seem frustrated in their attacking attempts
-will Nigerian patience eventually pay off, will Moroccans become tired?
-('72) Nigeria: Ikedia replaces Kanu
-('73) Nigeria quick attack but Ikedias cross is too low
-('74) Morocco: Hadji tries from 25 meters, but a harmless roller wide
-('75) Nigeria: Aghahowa fires the ball into the net, but it had been out of play before. Anyway the scene proves, the physical factor starts to work in favour of Nigeria
-('76) Morocco: but #17 almost scores as he beats his defender, who appears unconcentrated, to fire across the bar
-('77) Morocco: another blunder in the Nigerian defence, a cross into the box finds Hadji who is completely unmarked and has no difficulties in scoring from 8 meters - 0:1
-('79) Nigeria: Agali in for Yakubo
-('80) Morocco, fired up, no sogns of tiredness anymore, the goal was what they needed. A 20 meters attempt flies across the bar of the Nigerian goal.
-('82) Nigeria: Ikedia with a good cross, but Aghahowa tries a header although Agali calims to have been in a better position
-Nigeria do not look as if able to find a higher gear
-('88) Morocco: superchance for Morocco who now boast with confidence. #17 Chamkh, brilliantly set up by #11? fires into the second corner, but keeper Enyama deflects it against the goalpost with his fingertips
-('90) 4 minutes injury time
-('90) keeper Fouhami grabs a last cross into the penalty area

final score 0:1
Morocco with a perfect game, frustrating Nigeria with a brilliant defence, a lot of running to create and shut down spaces. Nigeria lacked automatisms in their passing game to beat such a sophisticated resistance.
Just when Morocco started to tire, Nigeria gifted them with concentration errors in their own defence, leading to the lone goal of the match