2010 World Cup: Nigeria v South Korea full time report
Nigeria 2 South Korea 2
South Korea advanced to the last 16 of the World Cup, where they will play Uruguay, after drawing 2-2 with Nigeria at Durban.
Nigeria played very well and will feel they should be the team, and not South Korea, through to the next round.
Kalu Uche gave Nigeria the lead on 12 minutes. It was a tale of two right-backs, as Nigeria’s right-back, Chidi Odiah, made a powerful run on the touchline, surging through a few players, and his cross was not anticipated by South Korea’s right-back Cha Du-Ri, allowing Uche to nip in and tuck the ball away.
South Korea, barely in the game, found an equaliser courtesy of their centre-back Lee Jung-Soo. He got onto the end of Ki-Sung-Yong’s whipped free kick, sneaking in on the far post.
The goal was against the run of play and South Korea made Nigeria pay for not taking their chances. Nigeria were the better side, with Uche having a good game. The Almeria midfielder nearly put his country 2-0 up before the South Korea goal, but his long range shot crashed against the post.
Nwankwo Kanu started the match, wearing the captain’s armband, and his age barely showed, with great touches and neat interplay showing the fluidity of Nigeria’s attack.
South Korea came out in the second half a better team, keeping the ball well and looking more menacing on the attack.
They took the lead three minutes into the second half, when Park Chu-Young curled a free kick home, although had Nigerian goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama stayed where he was, he would have saved the shot.
On 62 minutes Chu-Young could have given South Korea the lead. A neat move began with Yeom Ki-Hun putting in a great cross, and Young almost diverting the ball past Enyeama.
In the 66th minute, Yakubu had the chance to make the score level, but in what will go down as one of the worst misses in football history, he somehow managed to put the ball wide from at least three yards out.
Yakubu redeemed himself when he put away a penalty two minutes later after Kim Nam-Il brought down Chinedu Ogbuke Obasi.
Chances were coming thick and fast, with both sides going for the win. When Daniel Shittu almost put the ball through his own net, his teammate Obafemi Martins should have scored. One on one, he dinked the ball over South Korean keeper Jung Sung-Ryong but failed to hit the target.
Nigeria knew they needed a goal to have any chance of going through, and Victor Obinna almost gave them that goal. His shot a couple of minutes from time whistled just wide of the target.
Argentina’s 2-0 win over Greece gave South Korea second spot, and they qualified with four points from their three games.
Nigeria head home disappointed with not being able to convert their chances. South Korea, delighted to be through to the last 16.
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