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Nigeria beat Ireland 2-1 in World Cup warm-up
Updated: Thursday May 16, 2002 04:46 p.m. ET DUBLIN, May 16 (Reuters) - Nigeria gave their World Cup preparations a welcome boost on Thursday, beating Ireland 2-1 in a friendly international at Lansdowne Road.
The home side created most of the chances, but were punished for defensive lapses by goals from Julius Aghahowa and Efe Sodje.
Stephen Reid, a late call up to the World Cup squad after the withdrawal through injury of Mark Kennedy, pulled a goal back midway through the second half, and minutes before the end Mark Kinsella found the net only to see the goal disallowed for offside.
Ireland meet Cameroon, Germany and Saudi Arabia in the opening round of the World Cup finals in South Korea and Japan. Nigeria are drawn in Group F, along with Argentina, England and Sweden.
Copyright 2002 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
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Ireland forced to pine for home comforts on eve of departure From George Caulkin in Dublin Ireland 1 Nigeria 2
IRELAND goes to the polls today and, were he not preoccupied by a campaign of his own, it is a safe bet that Mick McCarthy would have been the people’s favourite for high office. In spite of suffering only their second defeat in 21 matches and their first at home for two years, the Ireland manager and his players were last night roared on their way to the World Cup finals. As politicians would insist, the bigger picture matters. Uncertain finishing — a failing not applicable to Steven Reid, a late replacement in the squad, who scored their goal — and slapdash defending were a cause of mild concern for McCarthy and, bearing in mind Nigeria’s obvious talent, served as a clear warning to England. But Ireland still left for the Far East this morning brimming with confidence.
A packed Lansdowne Road, witnessing its hundredth Ireland match, said a fond farewell to its heroes, indulging them in a lap of honour, singing and waving flags. It was an emotional affair, although events on the pitch cut through any saccharine. Every challenge carried the potential for calamity, but Nigeria came to play, no tackle was shirked and the tempo was fierce.
Ireland responded vigorously. Would Rudi Völler, the Germany coach, who watched from the stands, have been given food for thought? “I would say so, yes,” McCarthy said, “but maybe this will rein in a few of our people in terms of expectations. Maybe it has come a bit easy for us. Maybe this will jerk us back to reality.” That said, the only negative he accepted was the result.
Nigeria excelled in spite of a myriad of internal difficulties — several of their players were marooned in London awaiting visas — and showed tenacity as well as skill. With Kanu, the Arsenal forward, playing in midfield, they did not appear troubled by a pressing game that Ireland will find difficult to replicate in the humidity of Japan and displayed a level of agility that may trouble Sven-Göran Eriksson and his England team.
Augustine “Jay-Jay” Okocha chipped the decisive through-ball for Nigeria’s fourteenth-minute opening goal, although the inspiration came from the man who converted it. Julius Aghahowa, the Shakhtar Donetsk forward being monitored by Tottenham Hotspur, cut in from the left, rode his luck and a couple of challenges, passed backwards, collected the return and shot low beyond Shay Given.
The Ireland goalkeeper was equally powerless to prevent Nigeria’s second, in the 47th minute, although the same could not be said of Ireland’s defenders. It was the sort of set-piece goal that will have given McCarthy palpitations. A corner from the right by Pius Ikedia carried unhindered to the far post, where Efetobor Sodje, the unmarked Crewe Alexandra defender, nodded in.
Roy Keane returned to the Ireland side after an absence of five matches and pushed his side forward, slamming a shot against the goalkeeper’s legs, but it was Reid, capping a terrific week, who roused the crowd with a stunning consolation after exchanging passes with David Connolly. Perhaps it was just as well that Ireland got such a disappointment out of their system now. As one election slogan put it: a lot done, more to do
IRELAND (4-4-2): S Given (Newcastle United) 5 — S Finnan (Fulham) 6, K Cunningham (Wimbledon) 6, S Staunton (Aston Villa) 6, I Harte (Leeds United) 5 — J McAteer (Sunderland 6; sub: S Reid, Millwall, 46min 7), Roy Keane (Manchester United 6; sub: M Kinsella, Charlton Athletic, 63 5), M Holland (Ipswich Town) 6, K Kilbane (Sunderland 6; sub: G Kelly, Leeds United, 61 5) — Robbie Keane (Leeds United 7; sub: C Morrison, Crystal Palace, 61 6), D Duff (Blackburn Rovers 8; sub: D Connolly, Wimbledon, 61 6). Substitutes not used: G Breen (Coventry City), R Dunne (Manchester City), D Kiely (Charlton Athletic), N Quinn (Sunderland), A O’Brien (Newcastle United), A Kelly (Blackburn Rovers), L Carsley (Everton).
NIGERIA (4-4-2): I Shorunmu (Lucerne) 8 — J Yobo (Marseilles) 6, I Udeze (PAOK Salonika) 5, E Sodje (Crewe Alexandra) 6, T West (unattached) 6 — P Ikedia (Ajax) 6, A Okocha (Paris Saint-Germain 7; sub: W Oruma, Servette Geneva, 65 5), Kanu (Arsenal) 7, F Opabunmi (Grasshopper Zurich) 6 — B Ogbeche (Paris Saint-Germain) 6, J Aghahowa (Shakhtar Donetsk) 7. Substitutes not used: O Odemwigie (Insurance), M Adepoju (Salamanca), A Ejide (Gabros), Y Aiyegbeni (Maccabi Haifa), B Akwuegbu (Shenyeng Gendi), R Afolabi (Standard Ličge), E Ejiofor (Maccabi Haifa), V Eyiama (Enyimba), J Utaka (Al Saad), E Ugali (Monza), J Obiora (Locomotiv Moscow), D Shittu (Queens Park Rangers).
___________________ Feel me? Ofu onye ana asi unu abia go. - Ednut Igbo-American . www.airamericaradio.com visit her. Posts: 2447 | From: Mother Earth | Registered: Mar 2001
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