Greece beat a Nigerian side reduced to ten men in an exiting Group B encounter played at the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein on Thursday, with the final scoreline reading 2-1 in favor of Greece.
The two teams scored one goal each in the first half of the match, with Greece's winning goal coming in the 72nd minute of the second half.
The first goal of the match was scored by Nigeria's Kalu Uche in the 16th minute through a free kick, which curled into the Greek net after beating goalkeeper Alexandros Tzorvas.
Some 15 minutes after the goal, Nigeria's Sani Kaita was shown the red card and sent off by referee Oscar Ruiz for kicking Greece's Vassilis Torosidis after the ball bounced out of play.
With Nigeria reduced to ten men, Greece intensified their efforts to score an equalizing goal and were rewarded in the 44th minute when a shot by Dimitris Salpingidis deflected into the Nigerian net. It also marked Greece's first goal at a World Cup finals.
Greece's second and the deciding goal came in the 72nd minute, when Torosidis latched on to a spilled ball by the Nigerian goal keeper and fired it into the back of the Nigerian goal.
Nigeria had made a confident start to the second half and Uche saw his clever cross palmed on to the roof of the net by Tzorvas in the 48th minute.
Greece hit back and Kyrgiakos sent a header at the back post into the arms of Enyeama seven minutes later following a corner from Karagounis.
They kept pushing forward and Theofanis Gekas's close-range effort was parried by the goalkeeper just before the hour.
Nigeria then launched a swift counterattack and Yakubu Ayegbeni's shot was blocked by Tzorvas. The ball broke to the substitute Chinedu Obasi but he somehow managed to find the wrong side of the post when it seemed easier to score.
Nigeria were again grateful to Enyeama in the 68th minute when he clawed away a powerful header from Samaras.
Then came the mistake by the goalkeeper, although he did do well to beat away Tziolis's effort in stoppage time to prevent Greece extending their lead.
Though Nigeria made serious efforts to score an equalizer in the remaining minutes of the game, their efforts were repelled by the Greek defense.
With today's victory over Nigeria, Greece remains very much in contention for a place in the last 16. However, Nigeria's chances of a continued stay in South Africa appear very slim, needing a win against South Korea and a seizable Argentine victory over Greece for advancing into the next round.
In earlier Group B matches, Nigeria went down 0-1 to Argentina, while the Greeks were beaten 2-0 by South Korea.
On Thursday at Soccer City Stadium, Argentina trounced South Korea 4-1, mostly by a golden hat-trick scored by Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Higuain. The victory almost assures Argentina a place in the World Cup second round.
The two teams scored one goal each in the first half of the match, with Greece's winning goal coming in the 72nd minute of the second half.
The first goal of the match was scored by Nigeria's Kalu Uche in the 16th minute through a free kick, which curled into the Greek net after beating goalkeeper Alexandros Tzorvas.
Some 15 minutes after the goal, Nigeria's Sani Kaita was shown the red card and sent off by referee Oscar Ruiz for kicking Greece's Vassilis Torosidis after the ball bounced out of play.
With Nigeria reduced to ten men, Greece intensified their efforts to score an equalizing goal and were rewarded in the 44th minute when a shot by Dimitris Salpingidis deflected into the Nigerian net. It also marked Greece's first goal at a World Cup finals.
Greece's second and the deciding goal came in the 72nd minute, when Torosidis latched on to a spilled ball by the Nigerian goal keeper and fired it into the back of the Nigerian goal.
Nigeria had made a confident start to the second half and Uche saw his clever cross palmed on to the roof of the net by Tzorvas in the 48th minute.
Greece hit back and Kyrgiakos sent a header at the back post into the arms of Enyeama seven minutes later following a corner from Karagounis.
They kept pushing forward and Theofanis Gekas's close-range effort was parried by the goalkeeper just before the hour.
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| Vasilis Torosidis of Greece shows Nigeria players the mark on his leg after a tackle by Sani Kaita of Nigeria, who kneels on the ground after being shown a red card. Photograph: Martin Rose/Getty Images |
Nigeria were again grateful to Enyeama in the 68th minute when he clawed away a powerful header from Samaras.
Then came the mistake by the goalkeeper, although he did do well to beat away Tziolis's effort in stoppage time to prevent Greece extending their lead.
Though Nigeria made serious efforts to score an equalizer in the remaining minutes of the game, their efforts were repelled by the Greek defense.
With today's victory over Nigeria, Greece remains very much in contention for a place in the last 16. However, Nigeria's chances of a continued stay in South Africa appear very slim, needing a win against South Korea and a seizable Argentine victory over Greece for advancing into the next round.
In earlier Group B matches, Nigeria went down 0-1 to Argentina, while the Greeks were beaten 2-0 by South Korea.
On Thursday at Soccer City Stadium, Argentina trounced South Korea 4-1, mostly by a golden hat-trick scored by Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Higuain. The victory almost assures Argentina a place in the World Cup second round.
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