[WC2014] France 2-0 Nigeria: FT (Pogba, Yobo(OG))

[Catalyst]

-vs-

Match: 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil, Round of 16
Match Ref:

Mark W GEIGER (USA) Stats



Venue: Estádio Nacional de Brasília Mané Garrincha, Brasilia, Brazil
Overall capacity = 69,349 (Originally constructed in 1974. Extensively reconstructed in 2012)

PREVIOUS WC MATCH RESULTS @ Estádio Nacional de Brasília Mané Garrincha:




Altitude: 3,845 feet (1,172 m) above sea level

Weather: http://www.weather.com/weather/hourbyho ... ginIndex=6
http://www.accuweather.com/en/br/brasil ... 348?hour=9



Date: Monday, June 30 2014
Kick-off: 13:00 Local Time / 17:00 BST / 16:00 GMT / 12:00 EST / 11:00 CST / 09:00 PST
Live Coverage: AIT | Supersport3 | http://www.ESPN3.com/| |Eurosport | http://www.brilafm.net/ | CBC app on Ipad

http://www.nigeriatv.net/
http://www.sportcategory.com/c-1.html
http://gofirstrowus.eu/
http://tvcatchup.com/tv-guide


- Assistant Referee 1: Mark Sean HURD (USA)
- Assistant Referee 2: Joe FLETCHER (CAN)
- Fourth official: Alireza FAGHANI (IRN)

Bracketology

[Catalyst]

PREVIEW

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/footba ... rance.html

Comments

World Cup 2014: Can Stephen Keshi and Nigeria conjure a win against France?
By Colin Udoh, World Cup Nation, Nigeria

Nigeria's Stephen Keshi has broken the mould of previous managers and now needs something special against France

All of a sudden, panic broke out among Nigeria fans when it was revealed that Michael Babatunde had been ruled out for the rest of World Cup play after suffering a fractured arm.

Yes, the very same player who was the object of derision before the tournament. When Nigeria line up against France on Monday, the 21-year-old will be watching from the stands.

The French will enjoy that bit of respite, however small. But that is where they might be caught napping.
Nigeria manager Stephen Keshi has a fine record of getting unknown personnel to inflict great damage.
Just over three weeks ago, when Keshi named his final squad for the World Cup, the name Michael Babatunde elicited disbelief, anger and even open accusations of impropriety.

Playing for an obscure club in Ukraine, and having barely featured at all for Nigeria, some of the sentiments were partially understandable.
Sunday Mba, who not only scored the goal that knocked out Ivory Coast in the African Nations Cup quarter-final but also the championship-winning strike, was left out.

So was Ejike Uzoenyi, a local league player who had not only shone but claimed MVP honours at the African Nations Championship, the tournament for players playing in their country's domestic league.

As if that picking him above these players was not bad enough, Nigerian social media all but went into spontaneous combustion when Keshi decided to start the 21-year-old in a crunch second group match against Bosnia at the World Cup.

There were not a few who felt the coach was losing his marbles. They were to be served with a healthy helping of humble pie. Not only did the starlet from Volyn Lutsk (ever heard of them?) inject pace and energy into a stodgy Super Eagles midfield, he also sparked some desperately-needed flair.
By the end of the game, he was close to being named man of the match. He simply carried on from where he left off in the very next game, bursting off on a counter, and laying up a fine pass for Ahmed Musa to cancel Lionel Messi's effort.

Cue panic when he desperately signalled to be subbed as Ogenyi Onazi's shot broke his arm.

Babatunde is the latest in a growing, and hopefully, inexhaustive list of blindsides Keshi has continued to surprise with since taking on the Nigeria job.
Always known as a country with a long conveyor belt of talent, successive Nigeria coaches have chosen the path of least resistance, picking players on the basis of what clubs they play for in Europe and sticking them in, irrespective of form or competition.

Keshi bravely bucked that trend. Going into the Nations Cup in 2013, he opted for an inexperienced but talented lot, imbued them with self-belief and tossed them into the thick of battle.

Fegor Ogude was the starting midfielder at the time, but when Efe Ambrose was sent off in the very first game, a tactical reshuffle saw Keshi throw on Ogenyi Onazi. He has since become a mainstay.

It was the same with Kenneth Omeruo. Joseph Yobo and Godfrey Oboabona were the starting central-defensive partnership. But Yobo got injured after the opening game, and Keshi stuck Omeruo in. He proved so good that Yobo could not find his way back in.

Mba was another unknown thrown in by Keshi in place of Nosa Igiebor. His fable is now legend.

As for Ejike Uzoenyi, used and dumped by coaches in the past, and enduring a short but unhappy spell in France, he returned home and was picked up by Keshi. His exploits at the African Nations Championship had scouts scrambling.

More recently, Keshi's hand was forced with the injury to Elderson Echiejile just days before the World Cup. A nation-wide coronary all but followed. But Juwon Oshaniwa has not only proved to be a capable replacement, but will be well within his rights to want to hang on to the starting spot even when Echiejile returns. No one can argue he has not earned those rights, not even Echiejile himself.

This is not go say Keshi has not picked his share of duds. Who can forget Mohammed Gambo? The Kano Pillars striker was top scorer in the domestic league, only to suffer brain freeze and fluff the easiest of opportunities when given a chance by Keshi at the Confederations Cup last year. He has not worn the shirt since.

Keshi's selections have been questioned almost every time he makes them, but the big boss seems to have perfected the art of unearthing gems from mud on a regular basis, to devastating effect.

And so the question Didier Deschamps and France should be asking themselves now should be, who does Keshi plan to unleash this time?
And how can they legislate for him. Good luck with that.

FROM MLS SOCCER

http://www.mlssoccer.com/worldcup/2014/ ... ch-preview

France vs. Nigeria: 2014 FIFA World Cup | Round of 16 Match Preview

Call it David and Goliath; Monday’s first Round of 16 matchup features teams on very different runs of form. France’s spectacular collapse at the 2010 World Cup seems like a distant memory heading now after steamrolling through the group stages, while Nigeria had to rely on a certain amount of luck to snatch a spot in the Round of 16. As dangerous as the French have looked, however, they took their foot off the gas in their last group game, while Nigeria was able to go toe-to-toe with Argentina. Maybe their form isn’t really so different after all.

---

WELCOME BACK: Even if they are missing winger Michel Babatunde because teammate Ogenyi Onazi broke his arm with a shot against Argentina, this is a big moment for Nigeria. The Super Eagles have made it to the Round of 16 of the World Cup just twice in their history, and the last time they managed to do it was in 1998. Their campaign that year ended with a 4-1 loss to Denmark, and facing a French team that scored eight goals in their first two games of the competition, the Super Eagles will have to work very hard to make sure that history doesn’t repeat itself.

FRENCH FIREPOWER: About those eight goals… did we mention that France scored eight goals in their first two games? Striker Karim Benzema opened the tournament with a hat trick against Honduras, and Les Bleus kept the party going against Switzerland by putting up five on Group E’s seeded team. In their last game, however, the French played a fairly mundane 0-0 draw against an Ecuadorian team that was down to 10 men for nearly the entire second half.

NIGERIA’S ANSWER: After a listless 0-0 draw against Iran and a controversial 1-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Super Eagles turned up the volume a little bit in a 3-2 loss to Argentina. Both goals came courtesy of striker Ahmed Musa, who has looked good in every game, even when Nigeria hasn’t played well. France’s first priority should be to stop Musa.

MAGINOT, MAYBE: France’s defense has looked great at times, and then like a major liability at others. The French totally fell asleep late in the game against Switzerland, allowing two goals after the 80th minute, and Mamadou Sakho likely should have been sent off against Ecuador for throwing an elbow. It may not matter, because Sakho is dealing with a hamstring injury that might keep him out on Monday, meaning that Raphael Varane would come in to partner with Laurent Koscielny in central defense. Without playing a ton of minutes together, it remains to be seen if Varane and Koscielny will be able to gel.

UNDER PRESSURE: Historically, if France make it out of the group stages at the World Cup then they go to at least the semifinal. After the debacle in South Africa, there’s certainly plenty of pressure to redeem themselves in Brazil, and right back Bacary Sagna told reporters on Friday that anything less than winning the World Cup would be considered a failure for Les Bleus.

BONUS STORY: Nigeria’s team missed practice on Thursday, allegedly because the Super Eagles’ had yet to receive their bonuses from their federation. A similar story panned out against Ghana, and the Black Stars crumbled under the pressure. Nigeria should be wary of sharing their fate.

---

THE STAR YOU KNOW: Mathieu Valbuena, France – After resting in France’s game against Ecuador, attacking midfielder Valbuena will likely return to the lineup, and the attacking flair Les Bleus showed in their first two games will return with him.

THE PLAYER WHO WILL SURPRISE YOU: Emmanuel Emenike, Nigeria – Nearly six feet tall and 200 pounds, Emenike is what you might call “big.” He’ll get physical with France’s centerbacks, and we’ll see if they can get up for the challenge.

[Catalyst]

Starting Lineups

[img][img]http://s8.postimg.org/9w3fzwhit/Startin ... igeria.jpg[/img][/img]

[Catalyst]

Super Eagles



Le Boss



Facts: Nigeria
[/video]


Facts: France
[/video]

[nzeogwu]

France has a losing record against African teams
Nigeria has a winning record against European teams
France has never won a world cup match above 27 degrees Celsius since 1986 vs Brazil
Nigeria has never lost a competitive match in which Victor Moses started
In all world cup matches involving a European team (Colombia vs Greece, Chile vs Spain)in which Mr Geiger refereed, the European team has lost.
God bless the USA!!!!!

[metalalloy]

France has a losing record against African teams
Nigeria has a winning record against European teams
France has never won a world cup match above 27 degrees Celsius since 1986 vs Brazil
Nigeria has never lost a competitive match in which Victor Moses started
In all world cup matches involving a European team (Colombia vs Greece, Chile vs Spain)in which Mr Geiger refereed, the European team has lost.
God bless the USA!!!!!

France has never lost in the round of 16...

GO SE

[Cellular]

[iworo]

10 interesting stats ahead of France vs Nigeria


2 – Both of these nations kept two clean sheets in their three group games and conceded 2 goals each.

2 – For the first time in World Cup history two African nations have made it to the second round. There had been exactly one African nation in each of the last seven World Cups reach the second round before Nigeria and Algeria both progressed this year.

3 – On only three occasions has an African nation reached the quarter-finals of a World Cup (Cameroon in 1990, Senegal in 2002 and Ghana in 2010).

5 – In each of the last five occasions that France have progressed past round 1 in the World Cup, they have gone on to reach at least the semi-final stage (1958, 1982, 1986, 1998 and 2006).

5 – All 5 of Nigeria’s wins in their World Cup history have come versus European nations – Bulgaria and Greece in 1994, Spain and Bulgaria in 1998 and Bosnia and Herzegovina in this tournament.

9% – Nigeria have won just 1 of their last 11 World Cup matches. This was their 1-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina in their group stage match at this World Cup.

33% – France have won only 1 of their last 3 World Cup matches versus African nations. They lost 2-1 to South Africa four years ago and 1-0 to Senegal in 2002. In between, they beat Togo 2-0 in 2006 on their way to reaching the final.

44 – Nigeria are the lowest-ranked team in the FIFA World Rankings to reach the second round.

63 – France had the most shots in the group stage.

63% – Karim Benzema was involved in 5 of the 8 goals for France in the group stage, scoring 3 and assisting 2. It was also shot that was bundled into his own net by Honduras goalkeeper Noel Valladares for the first goal awarded by goalline technology.

http://www.barriesview.com/2014/06/10-i ... vs-nigeria

[uglyoneiamagain]

Fans already screaming 'Nigeria'!

[GREENWHITEGREEN]

Here they come...

[Cellular]

I don't like American refs...

[GREENWHITEGREEN]

Na days like dis Naija go sweet well well

[maceo4]

I don dey fear o!!!!!

[Cellular]

I hope na today di Frenchies go decide to go on strike...

[Sunset]

I don dey shake oooooo

[blueangel]

Nigerian National Anthem Playing

Up Eagles

[maceo4]

Arise o compatriots!!!!!!!

[Lager-back]

[maceo4]

Omeruo looks too serious since in the tunnel lmao

[GREENWHITEGREEN]

France go chop 4

[marko]

They put benzema to attack ambrose, tactical by the french?

[kajifu]

Kai Osaze is smile don give me Confido.
Is it only me that feel like LLoris go open yash?
4-2 Super Eagles,after this game it will be just 3 more games and the cup is in Abuja ooooh

[Cellular]

I thought yellows don't carry over...

Why are they showing previous yellows during the group stages?