The-Shot.Net Writers Club - Nigeria

Jan 31 1300 GMT Nigeria - South Africa 4:0 (final score)

Before the match
- If South Africa beat Nigeria and Benin can not beat Morocco, South Africa will be already in the quarter finals.
- If Nigeria lose to South Africa, Nigeria will be eliminated if not Benin beat Morocco. In that case there will remain a slim theoretical chance.
Nigeria and South Africa have to overcome internal problems which have weakened their squads. While South Africa did the first step thanks to a weaker opponent in Benin in the first match, Nigerias situation has become dramatic. With little preparation and a lack of focus they tried to play out Morocco, but had no receipe. Morocco with a concentrated perfect tactical display won the match.
To make things worse Nigeria sent home three players, two important strikers in Yakubo Ayegbeni and Victor Agali and a regular defender in Celestine Babayaro. Two of them players with already several troubles in the past with the NFA officials.
For a realistic chance to advance Nigeria are under pressure to win.
The psychological advantage is on the side of the South Africans, who are without their best professionals because of their internal problems before the tournament.
On the other hand Nigeria have more or less dominated South Africa in the few encounters of the past.

1st half
- Nigeria in all green, South Africa in all white, Nigeria attack with Kanu, Aghahowa, and Utaka
- Nigeria with some early domination
-('4) a corner is poorly defended by the keeper, it falls to the feet of Yobo who takes it directly and puts it across the line - 1:0
-('7) Okocha with a first display of his skills, but in the end Moshoeu takes the ball away from him and makes it look easy
-('11) A good looking attack by South Africa can only be stopped by a foul of Yobo against Mayo, free kick from 22 meters
-('12) South Africa: nice curled shot over the wall but Enyeama is not surprised and has no problems to catch the ball
-('14) Nigeria take away the ball from the South African defenders by pressing. They have the defence outnumbered and by good running paths create the space for Kanu to cut into. He is one on one with the keeper but cannot get the ball past him
-('15) Nigeria: Utaka breaks through and it is the South African keeper again who can stop the attack
-Nigeria are attacking concentrated the south Africans when those are in possession. On the other hand South Africans can not stop the Nigerian attacks.
-('15)-('25) Nigeria control the match but only have a half chance after 17 minutes. South Africa can not do much harm but the Nigerians have difficulties with two well timed sharp corner kicks, close to the goal
-('26) South Africa: long cross on Nomvete, who escapes Yobo. Nomvete from half left makes a sharp low shot on the far corner. Enyeama makes a spectacular save to deflect it for a corner
-('27) The corner kick flies in and we see several South Africans poorly marked. The initial header attempt is poorly, too, but the ball falls to the feet of Nomvete who fires it across the bar from close range
-Nigeria have to be intelligent now and see that only defending the scoreline will not be enough to win this game
-('31)('35) Twice South African striker Nomvete has to be treated and carried off. The first scene appears to have been a bad foul by Oronkwo in the air after which Nomvete(?) has to be treated for several minutes on the pitch first
-('39) South Africa: Nomvete displays he has recovered well and can only stopped in the last moment
-('45) 5 minutes injury time (see '31 '35)

halftime 1:0
Nigeria play with fire if they continue like this. Before the goal they dominated when in ball possession, the match was played in the South African half. Since the goal the match is played in the Nigerian half. Nigeria defends concentrated but some players take a rest when in ball possession. Maybe this is necessary to save power, maybe it is overconfident.
Okocha, like in the first match, does a lot of (defensive) running. Kanu is tangled up in a spectacular battle with conspicious South African defender Lekgetho. Nigeria defenders sometimes do have problems with crosses, especially from set pieces.

2nd half
- after a relatively short halftime break the match has continued
- South Africa look determined to continue attacking
- ('52) Moshoeu blast a shot wide from 20 meters
- few goal scenes so far
- ('54) relatively dangerous Okocha free kick from almost 25 meters, wide by half a meter
- ('57) South Africa: goalmouth scramble after a free kick from the right, but Nigerians shut down the way to the goal well
-('59) Nigeria first time dangerous after a perfect Okocha pass on Aghahowa. But the angle gets too close and south Africa is able to defend
-('60) dangerous is the South African counter attack but the low cross into the penalty area fails to find the attackers
-('61) Kanu conquers the ball and Okocha fires a low sharp shot wide from 20 meters
-('64) a ridiculous penalty decision: a long ball on Kanu, but the defender is quicker than him. Kanu fouls the defender, who falls on the ball and touches it with his hand. The referee blows the whistle for penalty
-to the defence of the referee: from his position with Kanus body in the way it might have been a little difficult to see the Kanu foul. While the handball after the fall was rather evident. But the assistant must have seen it clearly. Miserable team decision.
-('65) Okocha makes no mistake and scores - 2:0
-('67) South Africa: Zuma seems clearly fouled inside the Nigerian penalty area, but the referee apparently does not see Nigerian fouls. He probably has suspected a dive to seek a compensation.
-('78) the South African keeper has to be treated for knee problems for several minutes
-('81) Okocha with a stylish cross on Odemwingie, a striker who has replaced Kanu as a subtitute. Odemwingie moves out his defender and fires with his left foot from half right position into the triangle of the net - 3:0
-('83) second by Odimwingie, who from the same position takes a low cross directly, this time with his right foot - 4:0
-Osaze Odimwingie plays for La Louviere in Belgium
-('90) Utaka is all free as the South African defence has dissolved, dances out the keeper, but a defender clears on the line
-South Africa should not lose concentration, goal difference probably might be decisive in this group
-('90) 6 minutes injury time
-('90 4) South Africa: a 20 meter attempt across the bar
-Okocha receives the African Footballer of the Year award (?) by Hayatou after the match
NO THAT WAS A MISTAKE; IT WAS AN AWARD FOR THE 1000th NATIONS CUP GOAL, I should not have speculated

final score 4:0
The result does not reflect what happened on the pitch until the third goal. South Africa, like Egypt against Algeria, were unlucky to have two apparently wrong key decisions by the referee went against them. Nigeria only convinced until the first and since the second goal.
The big scoreline could mean an important factor in a group that could see three teams finish with 6 points each. (or in theory other scenarios with goal difference depending on the outcome Benin - Morocco)