Greece v. Nigeria: Live Report

Nigeria_Greece_2010_world_cup

BLOEMFONTEIN, South Africa (AFP) – 1602 GMT: “Vincent Enyeama made some fantastic stops,” says former Arsenal defender and BBC Sport pundit Lee Dixon.


“For a goalkeeper of that quality to go down to save a ball — and then have to move his hands at the last moment — could mean there is something not right with the ball.”

– 1559 GMT But remember, Nigeria can still qualify for the knock-out phase — they have to beat South Korea well in Durban on Tuesday night and hope that Argentina do them a favour and hit a hatful past Greece in the other game.MT:

90+4 mins: FULL-TIME – Greece 2 Nigeria 1

Greece have won their first ever game at a World Cup finals!

-90+3 mins: Enyeama gets down well to push a shot from Ninis behind.

– 89 mins: YELLOW CARD! Chinedu Obasi also gets his name taken for a clumsy tackle on Karagounis.

88 mins: YELLOW CARD! Georgios Samaras goes in with his studs raised on Chidi Odiah and is booked.

– 84 mins: All Nigeria here who are trying to build from the back but the clock is ticking on their World Cup hopes.
– 79 mins: Greece make a change as attacking midfielder Sotoris Ninis comes on for Theofanis Gekas.
-77 mins: And Greece almost sealed their first ever World Cup win there. Karagounis hits one from 25 yards out but it skips wide.
But Nigeria aren’t finished yet – Yakubu sends a stinging effort flying wide of the post at the other end
-71 mins: GOAL! Greece 2 Nigeria 1
Oh, dear — commentator’s curse! After all his great saves Enyeama has made a costly error there.
The big ‘keeper can only parry a fierce shot from Tziolis outside the area and the ball it drops straight to the feet of Vasileios Torisidis who toe-pokes the ball home from six yards.
– 67 mins: Yet another great save from Enyeama! Ball swung in from the right and the header from Samaras looks destined to sneak in at the far post but Nigeria’s ‘keeper flies across the goal to pull off a fine one-handed save.
– 64 mins: The Greeks really can’t afford to lose this game — they are definitely out of the World Cup if they get beaten here.
– 59 mins: End-to-end stuff! What a save from Nigeria’s Enyeama as he comes off his line to block the shot from Gekas but Nigeria immediately break down the other end where Tzorvas pulls off an equally good save from Yakubu’s shot.
– 54 mins: Kyrgiakos gets up high at the back post but can’t get enough power on his header to worry Enyeama.

Uwa Echiejile comes on for Taye Taiwo at left-back for Nigeria.

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– 53 mins: Taiwo looks like he’s injured his groin — he looks in considerable discomfort as he limps off. Nigeria have just nine men on the pitch for now.
– 47 mins: Great cross dinked in from Uche on the lefthand touchline — a back-pedalling Tzorvas in the Greek goal just manages to tip it over the crossbar.

If the Greeks can go on to win this it will throw Group B wide open. That result would leave Argentina top on six points with the Greeks and South Korea together on three with the Nigerians’ hopes hanging by a thread with no points. The Greeks face Argentina in their final group game while Nigeria face South Korea.

-1504 GMT: THE WHISTLE GOES and we’re under way in the second-half at Free State Stadium.

Nigeria have made a change as Chinedu Ogbuke Obasi has replaced Peter Odemwingie.

-1457 GMT: It’s very cold in Bloemfontein which should at least make it slightly easier for the Nigerians to make up for their one man disadvantage

.

-1553 GMT: “The Nigerians were cruising in that game and all of a sudden a lack of discipline has turned it on its head,” says former Liverpool defender and BBC Sport pundit Alan Hansen.

45+2 mins: HALF-TIME – Greece 1 Nigeria

– 44 mins: GOAL! Greece 1 Nigeria 1

39 mins: Great save from Nigeria’s Enyeama — that sending off has really shaken up the Nigerians and the Greeks smell blood.- 36 mins: Celtic’s Georgios Samaras replaces Papastathopolous for Greece.

34 mins: RED CARD! Sani Kaita sent off — Nigeria down to ten men.

32 mins: Katstouranis swings a ball out to Torosidis on the left, who gets a whack from Chidi Odiah.

– 29 mins: Comfortable save by Nigeria’s Vincent Enyeama in the Nigerian goal from a weak shot by Karagounis
– 25 mins: Skipper Karagounis is trying to get his foot on the ball and make things happen for the Greeks in midfield. Not much change from Nigeria’s defenders so far.
-21 mins: Karagounis picks out Kyrgiakos in the Nigerian area but it goes behind for a goal-kick.
– 18 mins: Nigeria’s Lukaman Huran is taken out by Kyrgiakos — free-kick to Nigeria 25 yards out.
– 16 mins: GOAL! Greece 0 Nigeria 1
The Super Eagles take the lead! Kalu Uche swings the free-kick in from 35 yards out on the left and it flies straight past Alexandros Tzorvas in the Greek goal.
15 mins: YELLOW CARD! Papastathopolous go into the book for a tugging back Odemwingie outside the area.
13 mins: Speaking at a special dinner to send the Super Eagles off to the World Cup on Friday, Nigeria’s recently-appointed president Goodluck Jonathan said: “This is a call to national duty and I expect the Eagles to prepare well and win this trophy.
“That will be a birthday gift for our country and set the stage for a golden jubilee celebration of our independence as a nation,” added Jonathan.
No pressure then boys!
BLOEMFONTEIN, South Africa (AFP)- 9 mins: Promising move down the right for Nigeria — right-back Odiah whips a ball into the box but there’s too much pace on it for Odemwingie to get to it.
6 mins: Celtic striker Georgios Samaras is on the Greece bench for this one.
3 mins: Good early tackle from Nigeria’s Yakubu on Greece’s right-back Vyntra — he certainly looks up for this!
1401 GMT: WE’RE UNDER WAY in Bloemfontein!
The Galanolefki (Blue-whites) will be hoping their vastly experienced 33-year-old captain Georgios Karagounis — formerly at Inter Milan but currently playing at Panathinaikos — can make their midfield tick while Liverpool centre-back Sotirios Kyrgiakos, who was left out of their first game, will keep things tight at the back.
Nigeria will hope Lokomotiv Moscow striker Peter Odemwingie — who missed their first game — can open their World Cup account in South Africa.
1357 GMT: The stadium is sadly half empty as the brassy Greek national anthem followed by Nigeria’s equivalent is played.
1355 GMT: Starting line-ups are out:
Greece: Alexandros Tzorvas, Loukas Vyntra, Avraam Papadopoulos, Vasileios Torosidis, Sotirios Kyrgiakos, Alexandros Tziolis, Georgios Karagounis (capt), Konstantinos Katsouranis, Dimitrios Salpingidis, Theofanis Gekas, Sokratis Papastathopoulos
Coach: Otto Rehhagel (GER)
Nigeria: Vincent Enyeama, Joseph Yobo (capt), Taye Taiwo, Danny Shittu, Chidi Odiah, Kalu Uche, Sani Kaita, Lukman Haruna, Dickson Etuhu, Peter Odemwingie, Yakubu Ayegbeni
Coach: Lars Lagerback (SWE)
Referee: Oscar Ruiz (COL)
1350 GMT: Lionel Messi really turned it on for Maradona’s men at Soccer City — can speed merchant Obafemi Martins do the same against the Greeks?
1348 GMT: After Argentina’s impressive 4-1 win over South Korea in the day’s other Group B match, Maradona’s side will be sure of a place in the knock-out phase if Greece and Nigeria draw this one.
– 1345 GMT: Angelos Charisteas was a star in Greece’s remarkable triumph at the 2004 European Championships — but the FC Nurnberg striker will be
on the bench for this one as Rehhagel looks to Eintracht Frankfurt’s Theofanis Gekas to help them break their World Cup duck.
WELCOME TO OUR SECOND LIVE WORLD CUP text commentary of the day with Greece taking on Nigeria in a crucial Group B clash in Bloemfontein.
After group favourites Argentina demolished South Korea 4-1 earlier on in Johannesburg, these two sides will know that, despite both losing their opening games, a victory here would put them right back in contention in the race for a place in the last 16.
Otto Rehhagel’s Greece slipped to a 2-0 defeat to the South Koreans on Saturday while Nigeria escaped with a 1-0 defeat to Maradona’s Argentina, largely thanks to a dynamic display from goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama.
This is only the second World Cup finals appearance for Greece after they made their bow in the United States in 1994 but, after failing to score in their three defeats at that tournament — one of which was a 2-0 loss to the Nigerians — are still searching for their first ever World Cup goal.
Kick-off at Free State Stadium is just twenty minutes away so stay with us for all the action as it happens — will the Super Eagles spread their wings or can the Greeks avoid yet another World Cup tragedy?

BLOEMFONTEIN, South Africa (AFP) – 1345 GMT: Angelos Charisteas was a star in Greece’s remarkable triumph at the 2004 European Championships — but the FC Nurnberg striker will be on the bench for this one as Rehhagel looks to Eintracht Frankfurt’s Theofanis Gekas to help them break their World Cup duck.
WELCOME TO OUR SECOND LIVE WORLD CUP text commentary of the day with Greece taking on Nigeria in a crucial Group B clash in Bloemfontein.
After group favourites Argentina demolished South Korea 4-1 earlier on in Johannesburg, these two sides will know that, despite both losing their opening games, a victory here would put them right back in contention in the race for a place in the last 16.
Otto Rehhagel’s Greece slipped to a 2-0 defeat to the South Koreans on Saturday while Nigeria escaped with a 1-0 defeat to Maradona’s Argentina, largely thanks to a dynamic display from goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama.
This is only the second World Cup finals appearance for Greece after they made their bow in the United States in 1994 but, after failing to score in their three defeats at that tournament — one of which was a 2-0 loss to the Nigerians — are still searching for their first ever World Cup goal.
Kick-off at Free State Stadium is just twenty minutes away so stay with us for all the action as it happens — will the Super Eagles spread their wings or can the Greeks avoid yet another World Cup tragedy?

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