Midfielder
Etebo Oghenekaro ensured Nigeria became the first team to qualify for
the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro with the winner against host
Senegal in their semi-final clash on Wednesday in Dakar.
The
Warri Wolves midfielder converted a penalty midway into the second half
to secure victory for the Dream Team against a determined Senegal side,
cheered on by an expectant home crowd.
‘Les
Lionceaux’ will have themselves to blame for failing to convert the
numerous chances that came their way in addition to missing a penalty
just before half time with Ibrahima Keita shooting in the waiting hands
of Nigerian goalkeeper Emmanuel Daniel.
The
victory of the Nigerians cannot be complete without mention of the
heroic saves from Daniel, who was the busier of the two shot stoppers
and his team’s best player on the pitch.
Both
teams got off to a blistering start but it was Senegal who dominated
possession firing from every angle in search of the opener.
And their consistent raids upfront yielded some decent chances but Nigeria goalie Daniel stood between them and the opener.
On 12 minutes, Samba Ndiaye put leading marksman Keita through but Daniel denied the latter in a one-on-one situation.
Four
minutes later, Daniel was again to his side’s rescue with a diving save
from an Ndiaye free-kick at the edge of the penalty area.
Nigeria
tried to contain the host with occasional moves upfront and had their
best chance on 42 minutes from a well-rehearsed three-man move.
Midfielder Oghenekaro’s delicate chip found Junior Ajayi, who slid past
Senegal goalie Pape Ndiaye only for Adama Mbengue to weather the storm
with a timely clearance.
On
the stroke of half time, the host had the perfect opportunity to go up
with a penalty after Daniel fouled Cheikou Dieng in the vital area.
However, Daniel stood firm with an easy save from Keita’s feeble shot
from the shot distance to end the first half barren.
Daniel
was on hand yet again to deny the host the opener on 58 minutes saving
with his foot from a Ismaila Sarr goal bound shot on a one-on-one
situation.
The
turning point of the game came after the hour mark when Nigeria coach
Samson Siasia introduced FIFA U-17 World Cup top scorer Victor Osimhen
for God’s Power Tower which will pay off minutes later.
The
Nigerians pressed for the opener and on 71 minutes forced a blunder
from the Senegalese backline and hard-pressed defender Ousseynou Thioune
deliberately tried to stop the ball from entering the post. Thioune was
sent off and Oghenekaro converted for the penalty for the opener to
silence the home crowd.
Despite
the numerical disadvantage, the host fought hard for the equalizer but
had to give in to their first defeat at the championship after Elhadji
Pape Diaw headed wide from a Moussa Wague free-kick on the stroke of
full time.
Post a Comment