2010 World Cup: Nigeria v Greece full time report
Nigeria 1 Greece 2
Greece came from behind to beat Nigeria at the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein in a match that was full of drama.
Nigeria deservedly took the lead after Kalu Uche’s delivery from a set piece passed through everyone and went straight in. Greece goalkeeper Alexandros Tzorvas was anticipating a touch which never came and dived the wrong way.
Greece had little to offer up until that point, and looked lacklustre, rather like their first game against South Korea. A defeat for them would see them be the first nation out of the competition.
The turning point of the first half and ultimately the match was the red card for Nigeria's Sani Kaita. The ball had gone out of play for a Greek throw-in, but in a moment of madness, Kaita kicked out at Vassilis Torosidis. From then on, Greece had to attack, and the introduction of Giorgios Samaras signalled their intentions.
With Nigeria having to defend, Greece mounted the pressure. Dimitris Salpingidis was put through by captain Giorgos Karagounis, but he shot straight at Nigeria keeper Vincent Enyeama.
Greece, without a single goal and a single point in World Cup history, equalised two minutes before half-time. Salpingidis’s shot from the edge of the box deflected off Haruna Lukman, which sent Enyeama the wrong way.
The game opened up in the second half, with both countries having chances to take the lead.
Fanis Gekas, the top scorer in the European qualifying section, missed a great opportunity, as Enyeama pulled off a fantastic save. The Nigerian keeper was continuing his form from the first game against Argentina, saving brilliantly as well from Samaras.
Moments after the save from Gekas, Nigeria broke away up the other end of the field, and Yakubu spurned a great opportunity. His shot was well saved, and the rebound, which fell to Chinedu Ogbuke Obasi, was missed as an open goal was waiting.
The winner came courtesy of Enyeama’s error. He stopped a shot, but he could only present the ball to Torosidis to score the winner. Enyeama was having a fine game, but his error could possibly have cost Nigeria the chance of qualifying from this group.
It was almost a tragedy for the Greeks, but they showed character and scored their first World Cup goals and collected their first World Cup points.
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