Nigeria heads home as Spain heads for a date with Italy and this is all Mr Ibu has to say.
Lolzzz.......Read how it all went down after the cut.....so Sad!!!!
Spain maintained their perfect record by dispatching of
Nigeria, 3-0. The game wasn't as comfortable for La Roja as the score suggests,
however, the Super Eagles were extremely dangerous and unlucky not to score in
the first half.
The favorites scored early on with an absolutely brilliant
move. Jordi Alba finished it off after a great run from his left back spot and
a setup by Andres Iniesta, but it was the epitome of a team goal. Spain started
the attack from inside of their own half and the goal featured a four-pass
sequence of consecutive one-touch passes.
Most probably expected Spain to pass in circles and
comfortably hang onto their one-goal lead for a bit after that, like they did
against Uruguay, but they faced a surprising amount of pressure from Nigeria.
The Super Eagles were probably the better side until the half-hour mark or so,
but they failed to make their chances count. Spain got it together late in the
first half and Cesc Fabregas missed a great chance, putting a shot off the post
off a great setup by Roberto Soldado.
Ideye Brown looked to have an equalizer in the 51st minute
after a cross came into the box, but missed his attempt. That would be the last
great chance Nigeria would get while in with a serious shot to win the game. In
the 62nd minute, shortly after Fernando Torres entered the game for Spain, the
Chelsea striker scored with a diving header off a cross by Pedro to put his
team ahead 2-0 and put Nigeria away.
Alba put the exclamation point on Spain's win in the 89nd
minute, scoring a tap-in on a brilliant weaving effort that saw him beat
multiple defenders, then round the keeper to complete a brace.
Thus Spain booked their place in the Confederations Cup
semi-finals with a 3-0 win over a wasteful Nigeria in Fortaleza.
Vicente Del Bosque's world champions will face Italy in the
last four on Thursday evening in a repeat of last year's European Championship
final which Spain won 4-0 while Uruguay are also through as runners up in Group
B after they clubbed Tahiti 8-0 in the night's other match.
They will meet host nation Brazil in an all-South American
semi-final on Wednesday night.
Substitute Torres, who nodded home the second goal against
Nigeria from Pedro's cross in the 62nd minute has now scored five goals from
six shots on target in the 2013 Confederations Cup, and is showing flashes of
his old form at these finals.
Spain progress as group winners on nine points. Uruguay join
them on six with Nigeria's 6-1 win over Tahiti their solitary success at this
tournament last weekend.
MAN OF THE MATCH
Jordi Alba - Less a left-back, more an extra winger. Couple
of lovely goals by the Barcelona player in a fine all-round performance.
MATCHCAST: PLAYER RATINGS
Nigeria: Enyeama 6, Oboabona 6, Echiejile 6, Ambrose 6,
Omeruo 5, Mikel 6, Ogude 6, Mba 7, Musa 7, Ideye 6, Akpala 6...subs: Ogu 6,
Egwueke 6, Gambo 6
Spain: Valdes 7, Arbeloa 7, Sergio Ramos 7, Pique 7, Jordi
Alba 8, Xavi 8, Busquets 7, Iniesta 8, Pedro 7, Fabregas 7, Soldado 7..subs:
Villa 7, Torres 7, Silva
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