Ahmed Musa’s second-half strikes earned Nigeria a vital 2-0 victory over Iceland in Group D.
Below, The Sportsman examines four talking points from the thrilling game at the Volgograd Arena.
1. Rohr’s tactical switch pays off despite poor first half
Nigeria were extremely disappointing in their opening match, a 2-0 defeat by Croatia. The Super Eagles were short of ideas in attack and looked vulnerable to set-pieces and crosses into the box at the other end, and many expected Iceland to emerge victorious in both teams’ second games in Russia.
Gernot Rohr switched from a 4-2-3-1 to a 3-4-1-2 formation here, pulling John Obi Mikel deeper and pairing Kelechi Iheanacho with Musa up top. Nigeria were poor in the first half – they failed to have a single shot at goal – but were much improved after the interval. Mikel and Wilfred Ndidi helped to build the play in the centre, while Musa’s speed and movement unsettled the Iceland defence. The entire team seemed to grow in confidence as time went on, and Rohr will be delighted with how his charges performed after the interval.
2. Iceland not at their best when chasing game
Iceland missed the chance to put Nigeria under heavy pressure in the final 10 minutes, with Gylfi Sigurdsson firing a VAR-awarded penalty over the bar. That capped off a poor second-half showing from Heimir Hallgrimsson’s men, who struggled to adjust to their new task after falling behind.
Iceland also conceded the opening goal against Argentina last time out, but they equalised within four minutes and therefore did not have to significantly alter their game plan. This is not a team who are built to chase games, and Iceland looked short of ideas when they were forced to push forward and take more risks. They were also picked off on the counter-attack, with the Super Eagles spurning opportunities for a third goal.
3. Musa makes the difference for Nigeria
Musa was lively in the first half, making some dangerous runs in behind the Iceland wing-backs and looking to stretch the opposition defence. He then did superbly to break the deadlock early in the second half, bringing down Victor Moses’ cross magnificently and firing the ball into the back of the net.
His second strike was different but equally impressive, the Leicester City man collecting possession in the channel, cutting infield and keeping his composure to round goalkeeper Hannes Halldorsson and apply the finishing touch. Musa began the Croatia loss among the substitutes, but he is now certain to start next week’s crunch clash with Argentina.
4. Everything still to play for in Group D
This result will have gone down well in the Argentina camp, with Jorge Sampaoli’s side still in with a chance of qualifying for the knockout rounds. The Albiceleste will have to beat Nigeria and hope Iceland fail to emerge triumphant against Croatia, who have already wrapped up top spot.
The Super Eagles, meanwhile, know that a draw against Argentina will probably be sufficient, unless Iceland beat Croatia and better Nigeria’s goal difference. There is still everything to play for in Group D.
