Victor Moses scores as Nigeria defeat Poland in front of their home fans
- The Super Eagles of Nigeria defeated Poland 1 - 0 away from home in a pre World Cup friendly match
- Chelsea fullback Victor Moses got the only goal in the clash through a well taken penalty in the second half
- Poland actually scored a goal but it was not allowed by referee Michael Oliver
The Super Eagles of Nigeria defeated Poland 1 - 0 away from home in their pre World Cup clash at the Stadion Miejski we Wrocławiu stadium.
The first half was a cagey affair with both side showing off their attacking side but at the end of the first 45 minute the scoreline was a goalless draw.
The game took a new twist as Victor Moses was brought down in the 58th minute in the 18 yard box which prompted referee Oliver to point to the spot kick.
READ ALSO: Gareth Bale has 'given up' at Real Madrid and just 'plays with his phone'
Moses calmly placed the ball into the bottom left corner of the post to give the visitors their much awaited lead.
Poland came close to getting their equaliser but in-form Uzoho would not have any of that as he held strong to claim a much deserves clean sheet.
Read our live report of the game below:
FullTime' Michael Oliver blows the final whistle to the amazement and cheer jubilation of the visitors
90+1' Chance! Ahmed Musa missed a well timed pass by Onazi that would have left him one on one with the Polish goalkeeper. Four minutes of added time to be played.
89' SUB for Nigeria. Ighalo OUT, Moses Simon IN. Nigeria seem to have done enough to get the victory despite not showing enough creativity.
86' Corner! Substitute Onazi showed character in heading out the corner from the Polish
85' The Polish are looking the more composed side with a high pressing play on the Eagles goal
83' Chance! Uzohi showed composure to punch a cross away from goal but Kowaczki was on hand to fire a rebound that went just wide
Stats' Corner Kicks! Poland 6 - 1 Nigeria
81' Sub! John Ogu replaces Kelechi Iheanacho
77' Sub! Tyronne Ebuehi replaces Shehu Abdullahi
76' Man down! Shehu Abdullahi is down and receiving medical attention by the Nigeria medic
74' Strike by Przemyslaw Frankowski was parried by the in-form Uzoho
73' Sub! Kenneth Omeruo replaces Leon Balogun
Stats' They have been 9 goal attempts by Poland and 7 by Nigeria
68' Sub! Jakub Swierczok who replaced Robert Lewandoskwi, came close to troubling Francis Uzoho but the ball went just inches wide
68' Sub! Jakub Swierczok replaces Robert Lewandoski
65' Chance! Poland came close to getting the equaliser as Artur Jedrzejczyk headed a superb cross from a freekick just wide above the top angle of the crossbar
64' Sub! Ogenyi Onazi replaces Joel Obi
60' GOOOOOAAALLLLLLLL! Victor Moses calmly puts his penalty kick towards the left hand side of the post leaving goalkeeper Fabianski helpless
60' Penalty! A penalty has been given to Nigeria as Victor Moses is brought down.
58' Sub! Nigeria make their first sub as Ahmed Musa replaces Alex Iwobi
57' Yellow Card! Joel Obi gets into referee Oliver's book for his foul on a Polish midfielder
56' UzoHero! Lewandowski was in a one on one situation with he Nigeria goal keeper who made himself big to parry the shot from the Bayern top striker - Uzoho is definitely having a good game
54' The Polish are in much comfortable control of the game
52' Offside! Robert Lewandoski is caught yet again in an offside position, but that did not stop him from striking the ball toward Uzoho - a card offense if you ask us
51' Nigeria is yet to make a sub in this one
The referee for this clash is Michael Oliver from the English Premier League
47' The Polish are in calm control of the game
Second half is now upon us
Half time' Half time is upon us, and at the end of the first 45 minutes, the scoreline is Poland 0 - 0 Nigeria
45+1' A poor cross from Shehu Abdullahi was block by the Polish defensive midfielder Karol Linetty
44' Corner kick! Uzoho yet again puts a brillant goalkeeping display to keep the Polish at bay despite two corners at quick secession - but thanks goes to the young goalie Uzoho
43' Huge chance! Lewandowski strike a mid range shot heading towards the Eagles goal but goalkeeper Francis Uzoho parries it out for a corner
It was actually a goal, luckily for the Super Eagles the referee did not call it in
42! A huge chance by Poland cross the line but the referee is signaling play on
41' Freekick for Poland in a dangerous position
38' Man down! Heavy challenge from Marcin Kaminski leaves Victor Moses on the ground
35' Chance! A decent delivery from the Polish almost found its way to the bottom right of the post leaving goalkeeper Francis Uzoho screaming to his defence line over lack of communication
33! Freekick! Victor Moses takes a freekick that came close to troubling the Polish goalkeeper but went just a few inches wide
Always refresh your browser to see fresh updates
31! Chance! A superb cross by Iwobi to Ighalo, was cut short by the Polish goalkeeper
30' At the half hour mark, the game is balance but the Eagles so far seem to have a slight edge over their opponent
A quick look into the stat of this game, Nigeria have 51% of the possession while Poland have 49%
27' Corner! Poland have a corner kick and it was headed wide by defender Kamil Glik
26' As expected, the game is cagey affair with both side showing equal respect to the opponent
24' Foul! Iheanacho fouls his marker
23' The Super Eagles are keeping a high line marking, hoping to force their opponent with a mistake
22' Offside! Lewandoski was caught in an offside position as he tried to sneak past his marker
20' Foul! Dawid Kownacki brings down Adbullahi Shehu in the Nigeria half
18' Sub! Jacek Goralski comes in for injured Karol Linetty
16' Foul! Victor Moses brought down by Polish midfielder
14' Slow build up play by the Polish
12' Iwobi shows great skills to beat his marker but his cross too deep and runs out of play. Great skills from the youngster
12' The Super Eagles are pressing deep in the Poland half
11' Good footwork by Iwobi from the right flank to send a cross it, unfortunately no Eagles player was on hand to receive it
7' Chance! A brilliant low cross from the left wing met the danger man Lewandoskwi, who effort hit the crossbar
5' Throw in! Nigeria have a throw in deep in opposition half
1' And we are on the way, the much awaited pre World Cup friendly is here
And the both team are observing their various national anthem
Live updates starts in five minutes. Always refresh your browser to see fresh updates
Here are the starting XI for both teams:
Nigeria XI to face Poland: Francis Uzoho; Shehu Abdullahi, William Troost-Ekong (c), Leon Balogun, Bryan Idowu, Wilfred Ndidi, Joel Obi, Alex Iwobi, Kelechi Iheanacho, Victor Moses, Odion Ighalo
Poland XI V Nigeria: 22. Fabianski, 15. Glik, 20. Piszczek, 23. Kaminski, 10. Krychowiak, 27. Kurzawa, 8. Linnerty, 26. Frankowski, 24. Kowinacki, 9. Lewandowski (C), 19. Zielinski
Read our preview below
The Super Eagles of Nigeria had the footballing world's attention with their 4 - 2 win against Argentina in their last international fixture.
Coming to face a formidable Polish side in their own backyard, can the Eagles replicate the form used in handling the Argentina clash?
This would be the first of such meeting between these sides who are both participating in this year's World Cup and could provide a timely glimpse of what to expect from them by the time the competition kickoff.
It is an usual tactic for coaches to attack in friendlies since there are no points at stake but it is expected that among these two teams, there will be a mutual respect and the first half might be a cagey affair.
READ ALSO: Zlatan Ibrahimovic bids Manchester United farewell in emotional Instagram post
Admittedly, the support of the home fans will prove to be a boost to Poland and they will come out prowling but Nigeria will have the services of Wilfried Ndidi, a player who has the most tackles in Europe's top five leagues this season. (He boasts a 62% tackle success and has won 167 of his aerial duels)
Nigeria will rely on the the pace and trickery of Victor Moses and Moses Simon, Kelechi Ihenacho to be among the goals, if the chance arises.
PAY ATTENTION: Become a member of our Facebook group
In attack, Poland will be hoping Robert Lewandowski continues on his terrific run of form; he has 32 goals in all competitions this season.
Date: Friday, March 23
Venue: Stadion Mjejski in Wroclaw
Time: 8:45pm Nigerian time
Legit.ng will provide minute-by-minute live updates of the clash.
Russia 2018: Nigerians predict Super Eagles chances at the World Cup - on Legit.ng TV
Source: Legit.ng
