AFP
CALABAR, November 17
Nigeria on Saturday qualified for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil after beating Ethiopia 2-0 at home in Calabar to go through 4-1 on aggregate.Victor Moses gave Nigeria the lead after 20 minutes when he tucked away a penalty after Anyalem Hailu handled the ball inside his box.
Substitute Victor Obinna doubled Nigeria’s lead on 82 minutes when he fired home a free-kick to kill off the game and the tie.
The reigning African champions thus march on to their fifth World Cup finals having also featured at the 1994, 1998, 2002 and 2010 tournaments.
But the Super Eagles’ display on Saturday inside the packed 15,000-capacity UJ Esuene Stadium in Calabar was laboured and, until Obinna’s late goal, Ethiopia were still in with a chance.
Celtic defender Efe Ambrose came close for Nigeria right at the start of the game and goalkeeper Sisay Bancha then made a one-handed save from Emmanuel Emenike from 10 yards out as the home team pressed for an early opening goal.
Ethiopia’s Saladin Said then saw a shot from a tight angle flash across the face of the goal before Moses calmly dispatched his penalty to put Nigeria ahead after Hailu was penalised.
Only a good Bancha save prevented Moses from scoring another goal half an hour in, and then Brown Ideye came close to doubling Nigeria’s lead when his header off a cutback from the right by Ogenyi Onazi narrowly missed the target.
Bancha again denied Nigeria when Onazi’s left-footed shot in the 43rd minute was kept out by the outstanding Ethiopia goalkeeper and Ideye could not put away the rebound.
Ethiopia had set their stall out to defend in the first half, but they came out of their shell after the interval and had a penalty appeal turned down in the 51st minute before Nigerian goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama made a brave save at the feet of Shemeles Bekele as they continued to fight for the equaliser.
On the hour, Bancha blocked an effort from Emenike inside the area after the Fenerbahce striker broke free of his marker.
Ethiopia attacked and played with a lot more urgency in the closing minutes of the encounter, but they lacked the bite to really trouble the home defence, and their hopes were ended when the power on Obinna’s late free-kick proved too much for Bancha.
Japan battle back to hold Netherlands
AFP
GENK, November 17
Japan produced an excellent second-half performance to come from two goals down and draw 2-2 with the Netherlands in Genk, Belgium on Saturday.
The meeting of two nations already assured of their place at the World Cup finals in Brazil was an open affair at the Cristal Arena, with the Dutch on top early on.
They opened the scoring from their first chance in the 13th minute when Rafael Van der Vaart of Hamburg lobbed Japanese goalkeeper Shusaku Nishikawa.
Van der Vaart then set up Bayern Munich winger Arjen Robben to increase the Oranje’s lead in the 39th minute, but Japan reduced the arrears just before the interval through Yuya Osako, a striker who has been in prolific form at club level recently.
Keisuke Honda then finished off a flowing move to level the scores on the hour mark and Japan even had chances to win the game late on against a Dutch side deprived of the injured Robin van Persie and also missing Wesley Sneijder.
“The first half was very good but after that we were unable to get forward. It is a problem that we will need to analyse and solve in our coming games,” said Dutch coach Louis van Gaal, whose side face Colombia in another friendly on Tuesday in Amsterdam.
Japan also play on Tuesday, facing Belgium in Brussels.
