Tag: Nigeria

Team Melli draws blank against Nigeria

Team Melli drew with Nigeria 0-0 in the first match for both teams in Group F. Argentina is currently leading the table with 3 points after winning their opener against Bosnia & Herzegovina.

Carlos Queiroz fielded a strong defensive line up with 6 recognized defenders sticking to his now well recognized strategy of a strong defensive team. The only surprise of the line up was the inclusion of Alireza Haghighi , who is probably the least experienced of the 3 goalkeepers ahead of no 1 choice Rahman Ahmadi. However , Haghighi did not have to make many saves or even work hard except for ne tricky free kick in the first half.

Although Nigeria dominated the first 30 minutes of the first half, the solid and well organized Iranian defense made that domination by the African champions useless. After the half hour a corner kick awarded for Iran,  the quick reaction of Nigerian keeper Victor Enyeama who saved the powerful header by Reza Ghoochanejad from close range prevented Iran from going a goal up.

In the second half the Nigerian control was reduced with Team Melli getting more of the ball but the players were guilty with some bad passes and spoiling some reasonable chances. Nekounam and Teymourian were majestic in their roles and their solid performance nullified the threat form the Nigerian midfield, especially Teymourian who neutralized Nigerian’s most famous player John Obi Mikel.

The defenders skilfully managed anything the Nigerians threw at them with total domination of aerial balls.

Iran v Nigeria: Group F - 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil

Despite being the lone striker , Ghoochannejad managed to play a solid and decent game and was a constant menace for the Nigerian defense. However Ghoochannejad did not connect well with the lone offensive midfielder , Ashkan Dejagah as they seemed to be operating on different channels and missing each others passes.

Dejagah who was expected to be the key player was a disappointment against Nigeria. Half of his passes went astray and he lacked his trademark running and beating the defenders. He was not helped , perhaps , by the number of midfield players opting to stay behind during offensive moves, leaving the team short of players up front while attacking the Nigerian goal. Dejagah was subsequently substituted in the 78th minute  by Alireza Jahanbakhsh.

It was a fair result for Team Melli and Queiroz skillful managed to neutralize the Nigerians threat , with remarkable ease. His selection of player for the defensive duties were immaculate. Iran managed the first point in the competition, and that is good enough of a start. It is going to be uphill from now but with the sold defensive system that Queiroz has created, without being anti-football , Team Melli is still capable to spring a surprise in the two matches ahead.

8 Years wait will be over comes Monday

It has been 8 years since team Melli last kicked a ball in the World Cup. 8 years wait and patience for the avid and passionate fans to see their beloved Team Melli perform at the highest level of world football again. Ironically , the last time the team played was against an African team , Angola. The next match is against another African team and the champions of the continent, Nigeria.

Nigeria , coming to Curtiba with all sort of variable loads from the expectation of the Nigerian people , to their problems on and of the field , in all cases that does not matter to them as they are here in Curtiba  to conquer Iran. Far from being an indestructible team , though Nigeria has obvious shortfall that the Wiley Queiroz must have been drooling over and over. The battle of tactics will be quite interesting to watch.

This World Cup has started with a bang. While we are still in the first round with more than half of this rounds matches have not even been played, surprises are a aplenty. Who could have imagined that the tiny Costa Rica, the team that has never beaten a South American team in the World Cup before and a team that was labeled by the punters as the punching bag of the big boys in the presence of three previous world cup winners teams, Italy, England and Uruguay in the same group. Yet it can defeat Uruguay 3-1 and convincingly for that matter. This is football, where nothing is impossible.  This is the World Cup where dreams and fairy tales can become reality. This is the World Cup where the victory goes for the ones who want it more. 

Even with moderate expectation from our Team Melli , we expect a victory against the Africans. Team Melli is truly and well capable of doing that.

Team Melli will be ready to roar tomorrow with this expected line up

Ahmadi

Pooladi

Hooseini

Montazeri

Sadeghi

Heydari 

Hajsafy

Nekounam

Teymourian

Dejagah

Ghoochannejad

 

Nigerian Football enthusiasts urge Keshi not to underrate Iran

OKITIPUPA – Football fans in Ondo State on Friday, urged Coach Stephen Keshi of the Super Eagles not to underrate Iran at the ongoing 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

The super Eagles will take on their Iranian counterparts on June 16 in their first Group F game. They will later meet Bosnia-Herzgovina and Argentina.

Speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Okitipupa, the fans called on Keshi to make use of his best players in the first half.

According to the fans, Eagles will triumph over Iran if they discharge their best, especially in the first half.

Tunde Ogunja, a former Director, Ondo State Football Academy, expressed concern that Iran could spring surprises if they were not adequately tackled.

“I think the Eagles need to work on their coordination and they must not underrate Iran because they have some good players who can spring surprises,” Ogunja said.

Idowu Akinbulumo, the General Manager, Ondo State Sports Council, advised the Eagles to imbibe “Team Spirit” for them to be able to dislodge the Iranians.

He, however, noted that the Eagles did not exhibit team spirit in their friendly matches, saying that they needed to work hard during the tournament.

“Eagles need team spirit and hard work for them to surpass difficulties at the World Cup,” Akinbulumo said.

A sports analyst, Oluwatoyin Olafusi, also advised Keshi to ensure that the best players were featured in the first half of the match against Iran.

Damola Olasanmi said that the coach should work on the midfield and defence for them not to concede early goals.

“The midfield is too loose without coordination, while the defence is porous too, I think these are the areas that Keshi needs to work on for the success of the team,” he said.

Kehinde Akinusi also predicted victory for the Eagles but urged them to work hard. (NAN)

I’m fit for Iran test – Musa

I’m fit for Iran test –Musa

Jun 13, 2014 

Super Eagles midfielder, Ahmed Musa, has declared himself fit for Nigeria’s first match against Iran scheduled Curitiba on Monday. Musa told our correspondent on Thursday that his injury was not too serious but that doctors advised him not to aggravate it.

He said, “I was ready to play even the last friendly against the USA, but it is of no use taking such risk when the event proper was yet to start. “I am happy to say that I have been part of full training for about a week and also trained on Wednesday. I am fit and ready for Iran.”

Speaking on the opposition, the CSKA Moscow player said the encounter would be tough since it is the first match. “Every first match is always very dicey because the competition is just starting. We are hoping to take our chances early and control the match to bag the three points.

“We know the importance of the first two games and we are going to do our best to get the results,” he said. Nigerian are competing for honours in group F of the global football competition along with Iran, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Argentina.

 

Queiroz: Iran ready to punish complacency

Iran are ready to make their FIFA World Cup opponents pay for any moments of complacency, coach Carlos Queiroz said.

Widely tipped to not surpass a Group F consisting of Argentina, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Nigeria, the Iranians open their tournament against their African opponents on Monday. 

Queiroz, a former boss at Manchester United, said Iran’s aim was to capitalise on opportunities handed to them by opponents – who will all be tentative at the expectation they will down the group’s supposed easy beats. 

“The most important is the first game,” he said. 

“No matter if it’s against Argentina, Indonesia or Japan, we have to play as a team. 

“We must treat them as they are, no more, no less. There are no perfect teams in the world. We have to be in the right places at the right time.
“Our goal is simple: if they make a mistake, we will be ready to capitalise. We’re playing the best teams in the world.” 

Queiroz said he will implore his players to enjoy the moment, with Iran featuring at a World Cup finals for a fourth time. 

“We cannot miss this opportunity to face them with pleasure and enjoyment. It’s just a game,” Queiroz said. 

“(There) are 90 minutes, defence, attack, lose the ball, winning the ball. Of one thing I am sure: we must be ready. 

“Not 90 per cent, but 100 per cent. This is the game of our lives.” 

FIFA World Cup 2014 Group ‘F’ News [2]

Ashkan Dejagah , who played against Trinidad & Tobago yesterday and won a penalty , has suffered an injury after a collision with Williams, the Trinidad Goalkeeper.

Dejagah was substituted for the second half as the coaching staff elected to exercise caution pending further medical examination. On closer check by Team Melli medical staff and Corinthians doctors, it is deemed that the injury is light and Ashkan can return back to duty and training. Team Melli defeated Trinidad 2-0 with goals scored by Ehsan Hajsafy and Reza Ghoocannejad. If Nekounam did not miss the penalty , a 3-0 result would have been the same result Argentina achieved against the same opposition a few days earlier.

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Which Nigeria will turn up?

It is difficult to define exactly which Nigeria side will turn up to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

The reigning African champions have the potential to cause plenty of problems for their opponents but can just as easily be brushed aside as we saw four years ago in South Africa.

Nigeria recorded one solitary point in 2010, losing to Argentina and Greece, while drawing with South Korea in their final group stage match.

This time around, they come into the tournament on the back of their 2013 African Cup of Nations success which is sure to provide some sort of confidence.

Recent friendly results have thrown up a trio of draws with Mexico, Scotland and Greece, making it a tough task to analyse just how Stephen Keshi’s Super Eagles will perform.

There is plenty to like about the squad on paper but that does not necessarily mean they will be able to recreate the outcome of the 1994 and 1998 teams who both finished top of their group before losing out in the Round of 16.

Nigeria

Manager: Stephen Keshi

Fixtures: Iran – June 16 (Curitiba), Bosnia & Herzegovina – June 21 (Cuiaba), Argentina – June 25 (Porto Alegre)

Past outings against group opponents: Nigeria have played Iran once in the past, for a 1-0 friendly win in Hong Kong in 1998.

Nigeria and Bosnia have never met at international senior level.

Nigeria and Argentina have played each other six times previously. The Super Eagles have won just once, while drawing once and losing on four occasions. The Africans have lost three times to Argentina in the group stage of World Cups for three losses in 1994, 2002 and 2010.

Key players: John Obi Mikel (Chelsea), Emmanuel Emenike (Fenerbahce), Vincent Enyeama (Lille), Victor Moses (Chelsea)

World Cup utopia: Making it any further past the Round of 16.

Doomsday scenario: Finishing bottom of Group F.

Qualified by virtue of: CAF play-off win over Ethiopia (4-1 on aggregate)

Best result at a World Cup: Round of 16 (1994, 1998)

tribal’s forecast:

Keshi has instilled in his side a belief that they can beat anybody they come up against.

Whether the Nigerian players actually believe that is another story but at least the boss has plenty of faith in his men.

Recent allegations of match-fixing, following goalkeeper Austin Ejide’s disallowed own-goal in the 2-2 friendly draw with Scotland, are sure to bind the players together but can they take the extra step?

The usually defensive-minded Mikel relishes his creative role in the national team and will be supported by the likes of Liverpool loanee Moses and Lazio’s Ogenyi Onazi.

The midfield will be where most of Nigeria’s influence comes from as they look to feed Emenike who had a decent season in Turkey, scoring 12 goals for Fenerbahce.

Other than Emenike though, it is hard to see exactly where the goals will come from. Peter Odemwingie hasn’t scored an international goal since August 2010, Ahmed Musa doesn’t have the best of strike rates,Shola Ameobi is noted more for his hard work rather than finesse whileUche Nwofor and Michael Uchebo are largely untested at this level.

Group F is something that Nigeria could successfully navigate when at their best but if they fail to make the most of the opening fixture against Iran, their chances of progressing to the knockout phase will decrease massively.

Sure, the talent is there but do the Nigerians have the mettle to mix it with the likes of Argentina and Bosnia?

Prediction: Group stage elimination.

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The Bosnia & Herzegovina team of 2014 are flying the flag for the tiny Balkan nation.

This is the first World Cup the Bosnians will compete in as a single entity after being a part of the Yugoslavia sides of the distant past.

Safet Susic’s outfit were more than solid throughout their qualifying campaign, finishing on top of their group, with a healthy goal difference of plus 24 having scored 30 goals in their 10 matches.

It will be a celebration of sorts for the Bosnian people who have so long hoped to see a team of their own represent them on the world stage, and in Brazil, they get the opportunity to look on with pride.

The Zmajevi (Dragons) have a great chance to announce themselves to the world by qualifying for the knockout stages which would be a stunning achievement given the inexperience of the team at such a high-status event.

Bosnia & Herzegovina

Manager: Safet Susic

Fixtures: Argentina – June 15 (Rio de Janeiro), Nigeria – June 21 (Cuiaba), Iran – June 25 (Salvador)

Past outings against group opponents: Bosnia have played the Argentines twice for two losses. The latest meeting was a 2-0 friendly defeat in November 2013.

Bosnia and Nigeria have met at international senior level.

The Bosnians have taken on Iran on five occasions for four losses and a draw. The most recent encounter resulted in a 3-2 friendly loss in Sarajevo in 2009.

Key players: Edin Dzeko (Manchester City), Asmir Begovic (Stoke City),Vedad Ibisevic (Stuttgart), Emir Spahic (Bayer Leverkusen)

World Cup utopia: Reaching the knockout phase would be a definite success while anything more would be seen as a massive achievement.

Doomsday scenario: Finishing bottom of the group below Iran.

Qualified by virtue of: Finishing top of UEFA Group G qualifying.

Best result at a World Cup: Debut World Cup

tribal’s forecast:

There are some seriously classy players within the Bosnian World Cup squad.

City star Dzeko will lead the line in attack and will be assisted by Ibisevic who knocked in 15 goals for Stuttgart last season. Those two will be heavily relied upon to hit the back of the net as was evidenced by the qualifying campaign when combining for 18 of the 30 goals.

Pulling the strings in midfield will be veteran Zvjezdan Misimovic, who plays his club football in China, while there will be support from the likes of Roma midfielder Miralem Pjanic, Lazio’s Senad Lulic and Hoffenheim’s Sejad Salihovic.

The defence, which conceded just six goals in qualifying, is led by influential skipper Spahic who guides a well-organised and cohesive ‘team within a team’ which sits in front of talented goalkeeper Begovic.

National legend Susic has before him a well-drilled, discplined line-up who are underrated on the world stage and will take a power of beating in the group stages.

Bosnia are certainly capable of getting the better of both Nigeria and Iran, and making life difficult for Argentina, before looking on to a possible Round of 16 clash with France.

Prediction: Round of 16.

Jahanbaksh named amongst the young players to watch

Young Players to set the 2014 World Cup alight from Group F

Last Updated:
1
World Cup 2014, Group F
Here is a look at one young player from each of the four Group F teams most likely to make an impact for their respective countries at the World Cup

Argentina

Marcos Rojo

Rojo

Age

24

Club

Sporting Lisbon

Position

Defender

Int. Caps

21

Int. Goals

0

 

In an experienced Argentina side, Marcos Rojo is one of the younger and probably one of the most important players in the Albiceleste squad. The 24-year-old will be playing in the left-back position for Argentina at the World Cup and has emerged as an integral part for Alejandro Sabella’s side.

While his defensive qualities have been put into question at times, Rojo is a great threat going forward and will surely prove to be a useful outlet in the final third of the pitch for the South Americans.

 

Bosnia & Herzegovina

Sead Kolašinac

Saed Kolasnic1

Age

20

Club

Schalke

Position

Defender

Int. Caps

4

Int. Goals

0

 

Sead Kolašinac has enjoyed a breakthrough season with Schalke this year. The young man established himself as an integral part of the German side and impressed many with his mature performance at the back.

A versatile player who is primarily used as a left-back, Kolašinac switched allegiance to Bosnia & Herzegovina after representing Germany at youth level and looks set to play a big part in the country’s debut World Cup campaign in Brazil.

 

Iran

Alireza Jahanbakhsh

Alirejza

Age

20

Club

NEC Nijmegen

Position

Midfielder

Int. Caps

6

Int. Goals

1

 

Alireza Jahanbakhsh is probably the most exciting young player to emerge from Iran recently. The 20-year old plies his trade in Netherlands for NEC Nijmegen and managed to impress with some fine performances for the Dutch side over the course of the campaign.

A tricky winger with a knack of scoring goals, Jahanbakhsh adds a bit of flair to a solid Iran side. While Ashkan Degajah and Javad Nekounam will most probably be preferred to Jahanbakhsh in the starting lineup at the World Cup, one cannot rule out the young man making an impact in the competition whenever afforded the opportunity.

 

Nigeria

Ogenyi Onazi

Onazi

Age

20

Club

Lazio

Position

Midfielder

Int. Caps

20

Int. Goals

1

 

Ogenyi Onazi’s meteoric rise to prominence has been phenomenal. Having picked up by Italian giants from a church-sponsored team in Lagos called My People two years ago, Onazi has gone on to become one of the finest young midfielders plying their trade in Europe.

The 20-year old has also established himself as a regular in the Nigerian national team and helped the Super Eagles to the African Cup of Nations triumph in 2013.

A tough tackling midfielder, Onazi possesses a brilliant temperament and he will surely be looking to impress at the World Cup by taming the dangerous Argentina and Bosnia attack.

Written by: Sarad Shrestha

Iran drops 6 places in FIFA Ranking of June 2014

Iran maintained top Asian ranking in the monthly list issued today (Thursday 4th Jun 2014) despite dropping a significant 6 places down  to 43 in the overall FIFA Ranking.

In the last ranking to be issued before the World Cup kick off, Iran tally of 641 points ranks it above Japan (626) Korea Rep (547) and Uzbekistan (539) in Asia. Australia is fifth with 526 points.

 

Interestingly enough , Nigeria , Team Melli’s first opponent at the World Cup maintained its position at 44  one rank below and one point less than Team Melli at 43.

 

There is a mix result for the other Group F with Argentina , the highest rank team in the group climbing two places to # 5 in the world while Bosnia also climbed 4 places as the best achiever of the group at 21.

 

Group F ranking – Comparison chart

FIFA-Ranking-compare-Jun14

Keshi dismisses Argentina, focused on Iran

Nigeria coach Stephen Keshi focusing on Iran first

Nigeria coach Stephen Keshi says his focus at the moment is his opening World Cup match against Iran.

Keshi’s team also play Bosnia-Herzegovina and Argentina, but most of the focus has been on the South American giants.

The Nigeria coach insists that the first game is the most important one of all. “The Argentina game is not important right now,” Keshi said.

“The most important game is against Iran and when I finish playing against Iran and Bosnia then I can have an answer to that.”

Keshi also dismissed injury concerns to his players, claiming he has spoken to them and received assurances.

“There are no injuries. I have called Austin Ejide and he made it clear that he was never injured.

“Ahmed Musa had a minor injury and l spoke to the club doctor who said in two or three weeks he would be fine.

“Musa played in the last minutes for his Russian club in a league game. I called Oduamadi and he dismissed the report of his injury. In fact he told that he had a match that same day, so I don’t know where all these rumours emanated from.

“But we will assess everyone very well when they come for the training camp.”

Nigeria announces provisional squad for the World Cup.

Nigeria FA announced a provisional list of 30 players for the FIFA World Cup 2014 Brazil.

The list of 30 players has only 4 players based in Africa while the rest are all legionnaires in Europe and 2 playing in Israel.

The surprise pick is forward Shola Ameobi  (32 years) who has played 25 matches with only a few as a starter and scored 2 goals only for Newcastle United.

 

Provisional Nigeria squad:

Goalkeepers: Vincent Enyeama (Lille FC, France); Austin Ejide (Hapoel Be’er Sheva, Israel), Daniel Akpeyi (Heartland), Chigozie Agbim (Gombe United)

Defenders: Elderson Echiejile (AS Monaco, France); Efe Ambrose (Celtic, Scotland); Godfrey Oboabona (Rizespor, Turkey); Azubuike Egwuekwe (Warri Wolves); Kenneth Omeruo (Middlesbrough, England); Juwon Oshaniwa (Ashdod FC, Israel); Joseph Yobo (Norwich City, England); Kunle Odunlami (Sunshine Stars).

Midfielders: John Mikel Obi (Chelsea, England); Ramon Azeez (Almeria FC, Spain); Ogenyi Onazi (SS Lazio, Italy); Joel Obi (Parma, Italy); Nnamdi Oduamadi (Varese, Italy); Ejike Uzoenyi (Enugu Rangers), Nosa Igiebor (Real Betis, Spain), Sunday Mba (CA Bastia, France), Reuben Gabriel (Waasland-Beveren, Belgium), Michael Babatunde (Volyn Lutsk, Ukraine).

Forwards : Ahmed Musa (CSKA Moscow, Russia); Shola Ameobi (Newcastle United, England); Emmanuel Emenike (Fenerbahce, Turkey); Obinna Nsofor (Chievo Verona, Italy); Peter Odemwingie (Stoke City, England), Michael Uchebo (Cercle Brugge, Belgium); Victor Moses (Liverpool, England), Uche Nwofor (Heerenveen, Holland).