It was all about Osaze Odemwingie after the match against Iran and it is still about the Uzbekistan born Striker after the match against Bosnia Herzegovina.
A match which to many which if lost, would have been branded a poisoned chalice for Osaze Odemwingie after Stephen Keshi allegedly said that he didn’t play to instruction in the first World Cup match in Brazil, turned out to be a redemption for the Stoke City prodigy.
It started with the two teams having their fair share of possession and chances, before the forward combined with striker Emmanuel Emenike thwarted the Bosnian defence and scored in the 29th minute of the encounter.
In a match played at often near-walking pace in the sweltering heat of Cuiaba and with numerous water breaks, Stephen Keshi’s gamble to take the Stoke City forward to the tournament paid off.
After more than two years in exile, the 32-year-old was his side’s hero as they put their campaign back on track ahead of their final group meeting with Argentina.
Keshi opted to leave out Liverpool’s Victor Moses, who had a poor game and showed an even poorer attitude during their spiritless draw with Iran.
He also dropped youngster Ramon Azeez to the bench while defender Godfrey Oboabona was still absent through injury.
In came Odemwingie, Michael Babatunde and captain, Joseph Yobo, who is inching nearer to his hundredth cap for his national team.
Nigeria started more confidently against Safet Susic’s side but saw Ahmed Musa fail to get on the end of Emenike’s early cross.
The Bosnian attack, spearheaded by Manchester City’s Edin Dzeko, looked quiet until the striker burst on to the end of a pass to shoot home, but the referee adjudged it offside.
The Africa Cup of Nations champions would later profit from this as they took the lead via Odemwingie, who slipped the ball beneath the legs of Stoke teammate Asmir Begovic after great work from Emenike down the flanks set him free.
Nigeria managed to keep their lead after they saw a series of shots on goal by Ogenyi Onazi and Babatunde kept out by Begovic.
In an open encounter, unlike the previous game with Iran, Bosnia searched for the equalizer, but Dzeko failed to beat Enyeama with the last chance of the match.
The Lille goalkeeper stuck out a leg to keep the ball out, which then ricocheted off the upright and away to safety.
Susic’s men seemed to run out of ideas for many periods in the encounter and will be deeply disappointed to have ended their first World Cup campaign with two losses.
Following their impressive game against Argentina, much was expected of them in this encounter but Bosnia could not break down a compact Nigerian team that was content to counter-attack and defend in numbers.
They will now face Iran in their final game, and will be fighting for pride alone. Nigeria, meanwhile, will head to Porto Alegre to face the Albiceleste, who have already qualified for the second round. The Super Eagles require just a point to reach the knock out stages for the first time in 16 years.
No doubt, Nigeria has got game winners like Victor Moses, Emmanuel Emenike and Mikel Obi, but having Osaze around brings that experience and confidence to the Nigerian team.
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This article was first published on 23rd June 2014
obimartins
Martins Okafor is a Sports Writer for Connect Nigeria. He has been a sport buff for years, following stories and development in leagues and international competitions. His interest led him to writing stories – reporting on sporting events. He has superior interest in soccer, but knows much about other sports. He plans to have a blog and to advance in sport journalism. You can email him at: obimartins85 [at] gmail.com
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It was all about Osaze Odemwingie after the match against Iran and it is still about the Uzbekistan born Striker after the match against Bosnia Herzegovina.
A match which to many which if lost, would have been branded a poisoned chalice for Osaze Odemwingie after Stephen Keshi allegedly said that he didn’t play to instruction in the first World Cup match in Brazil, turned out to be a redemption for the Stoke City prodigy.
It started with the two teams having their fair share of possession and chances, before the forward combined with striker Emmanuel Emenike thwarted the Bosnian defence and scored in the 29th minute of the encounter.
In a match played at often near-walking pace in the sweltering heat of Cuiaba and with numerous water breaks, Stephen Keshi’s gamble to take the Stoke City forward to the tournament paid off.
After more than two years in exile, the 32-year-old was his side’s hero as they put their campaign back on track ahead of their final group meeting with Argentina.
Keshi opted to leave out Liverpool’s Victor Moses, who had a poor game and showed an even poorer attitude during their spiritless draw with Iran.
He also dropped youngster Ramon Azeez to the bench while defender Godfrey Oboabona was still absent through injury.
In came Odemwingie, Michael Babatunde and captain, Joseph Yobo, who is inching nearer to his hundredth cap for his national team.
Nigeria started more confidently against Safet Susic’s side but saw Ahmed Musa fail to get on the end of Emenike’s early cross.
The Bosnian attack, spearheaded by Manchester City’s Edin Dzeko, looked quiet until the striker burst on to the end of a pass to shoot home, but the referee adjudged it offside.
The Africa Cup of Nations champions would later profit from this as they took the lead via Odemwingie, who slipped the ball beneath the legs of Stoke teammate Asmir Begovic after great work from Emenike down the flanks set him free.
Nigeria managed to keep their lead after they saw a series of shots on goal by Ogenyi Onazi and Babatunde kept out by Begovic.
In an open encounter, unlike the previous game with Iran, Bosnia searched for the equalizer, but Dzeko failed to beat Enyeama with the last chance of the match.
The Lille goalkeeper stuck out a leg to keep the ball out, which then ricocheted off the upright and away to safety.
Susic’s men seemed to run out of ideas for many periods in the encounter and will be deeply disappointed to have ended their first World Cup campaign with two losses.
Following their impressive game against Argentina, much was expected of them in this encounter but Bosnia could not break down a compact Nigerian team that was content to counter-attack and defend in numbers.
They will now face Iran in their final game, and will be fighting for pride alone. Nigeria, meanwhile, will head to Porto Alegre to face the Albiceleste, who have already qualified for the second round. The Super Eagles require just a point to reach the knock out stages for the first time in 16 years.
No doubt, Nigeria has got game winners like Victor Moses, Emmanuel Emenike and Mikel Obi, but having Osaze around brings that experience and confidence to the Nigerian team.
