The thirteenth game of the 2014 World Cup and the second of Group F saw the first draw and a poor result for Nigeria as they kicked off their campaign against Iran.
Both teams knew that a win would put them in a very promising position to progress following Bosnia and Herzegovina’s defeat at the hands of Argentina last night.
There was plently of interest from a Chelsea fans point of view, with John Obi Mikel and Victory Moses both lining up in the Nigerian side. 20 year old Kenneth Omeruo also started in the backline for Nigeria.
There was also a familiar face in the shape of Fulham’s Ashkan Dejagah who lined up in the Iranian midfield.
Nigeria had a goal disallowed early on after Mikel was deemed to have fouled the Iranian goalkeeper before Ahmed Musa tucked away, only to hear the referees whistle as he did so.
However, the first half hour provided little in the way of clear cut chances, with Nigeria’s Vincent Enyeama forced into a great save from an Iranian corner and header on the 33 minute mark.
The remainder of the half dwindled out with a lack of action from either side. The passing and final ball from Nigeria had been poor and Iran, who were underdogs for the game, were comfortable in their defending.
Chelsea’s Victor Moses was removed from the action just 5 minutes into the second half as he was replaced by former Newcastle striker Shola Ameobi, with both sides still struggling to create any clear-cut opportunities. The substitute came close on 70 minutes after he connected with Juwon Oshaniwa’s cross, only to see his diving header bounce wide.
Stoke City’s Peter Odemwingie was introduced and provided a spark for Nigeria in a side that had lacked pace throughout the game. The striker saw a thunderous shot go just wide and provided a different option upfront after replacing Ramon Azeez.
The second half, like the first, provided very little action and somewhat staggered to an end and the final whistle saw boos ring around from Nigeria fans who now face a difficult task to qualify for the next round.
However, for Iran, who were expected to do very little at the tournament kept their first ever World Cup clean sheet to gain a huge point and a boost for the remainder of the group stage.
There was little entertainment for any Chelsea fans keeping a close eye on their teams players, as Victor Moses was hauled off early and John Obi Mikel slowed the game down, as his play style does, for Nigeria. Kenneth Omeruo had a quiet night in the Nigerian defence.
Group F continues on Saturday as Argentina face Iran and Nigeria will look to improve on tonight’s result as they face Bosnia and Herzegovina.
