Brazil World Cup Squad 2014 French Soccer Overwhelms Nigeria 2-0
Estadio NacionalBrasilia (BRA)30 Jun 2014 - 13:00 Local time
Round of 16
FRANCENIGERIA FULL-TIME2-0
" A deserved win will make us even stronger for the rest of the competition. I'm very proud to have reached the quarterfinals," French coach Didier Deschamps said after France's clear win over Nigeria.
However, the own goal from Nigeria's Joseph Yobo during injury time was unfortunate and could only be compared to Marcelo's own goal in the opening match of the tournament, Brazil vs. Croatia. With just one header converted into a goal from French Brazil World Cup Squad 2014's Paul Pogba, there was some room for Nigeria to tweak a goal.
Deschamps has become a stalwart at Brazil World Cup 2014 with France unbeaten in Group Fixtures and Round of 16. Despite a strong Nigerian team that created noteworthy first half opportunities, including one by Olivier Gourier's left footer that went wide, France was 'on'during the entire game, making an offensive against them a difficult proposition. Vincent Enyeama was a threat to the French defense throughout the match, making eventful strikes forward.
At the other end, Karim Benzema doubled up with Antoine Griezmann to fire a shot that went right past Enyeama and looked like it was going for the goal line before Victor Moses cleared the ball.
The win over Nigeria puts France through to the quarters and will face Germany, a fixture that sets the stage for the clash between the two titans in World Cup history - notably in 1982 and 1986. The 1982 semifinal match between France and Germany stands after a thrilling match ending in West Germany's win (5-4) over France in a penalty shootout final matches considering the quality of the two teams. And the World Cup 1986 features some of the best names in European football including Michel Platini, the French Captain and Gemany's superman Karl Heinze Rummenigge and Pier Litbarski. The Brazil World Cup 2014 has produced two new stars in M. Klose and T. Muller, both goal scorers that can change game play quickly. They will be the ones to watch out for in the quarterfinals.
Thinking forward to Friday's appointment with Germany, coach Deschamps, 45, shared, "I'm a realist, my target, like my players, is Friday," he said, adding, "It doesn't serve any purpose to look any further ahead. The reality now is Germany on Friday. Everyone can dream, including me, but I'm a pragmatist and a realist, Friday is the only thing that counts."
