Nigeria vs. Germany: Score and Reaction from 2016 Olympic Soccer
Germany will play Brazil in the men’s soccer final of the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, as they beat Nigeria 2-0 in Sao Paulo on Wednesday.
Germany were in front at half-time after Lukas Klostermann added the finishing touches to an incisive passing move, although Nigeria squandered a host of chances. After the interval, the European side improved and after dominating the half, scored a late second through Nils Petersen's sharp finish.
After this win, Germany will play the host nation in Saturday’s final; Brazil hammered Honduras 6-0 earlier in the day.
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The game started in tentative fashion, as is to be expected given what was at stake, but it was Germany who found their rhythm the quicker of the two sides. It didn’t take long until their neat play manifested into a lead.
After some sweeping passing, Max Meyer found space in the penalty area, rolling the ball into Klostermann, who had a simple finish at the back post. While there was much to admire about the attacking play, football journalist Colin Udoh compared the defensive differences:
The goal seemed to spark the Super Eagles sparked into life, though, and they had the better of things for the rest of the half.
An error from goalkeeper Timo Horn went unpunished, while German defenders blocked shots from Mikel John Obi and Aminu Umar after some aesthetic pieces of play.
At the interval, Germany would have been pleased to have preserved their one-goal advantage. The team’s official Twitter feed paid tribute to their efforts at the back, with Nigeria turning the screw:
In the early stages of the second half, Germany looked like a side that had been given a stiff talking-to by head coach Horst Hrubesch, as they were much the brighter.
Serge Gnabry had a stinging strike saved, while Davie Selke couldn’t finish after rounding the Super Eagles goalkeeper.
Nigeria were struggling to get upfield as the hour mark approached, with Gnabry again going close with a powerful shot. Their best chances were coming from set pieces, with Mikel bending a free-kick wide from around 25 yards.
Meanwhile, sports journalist Cristian Nyari praised the efforts of this youthful crop of German players:
As the match moved into the latter stages, the game became a scrappy affair, sapping the momentum of a Super Eagles side doing their utmost to gather some attacking momentum. German players were happy to concede fouls and take bookings to ensure there'd be no late scares.
They were eventually able to add to their lead in the 89th minute, with Nigeria pressing forward in search of an equaliser. And it was Petersen who was alert in the area, turning Selke's wayward shot into the back of the net, making Germany's spot in the final certain.
A final against Brazil in Brazil will trigger memories of the last time these two sides met at a major tournament; in the semi-final of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Germany hammered the Selecao 7-1 in Belo Horizonte. While this is a much-changed cast of players, there’ll be pressure on the South American players to banish that memory.
That should work in Germany’s favour, and they have been excellent in all aspects of their play so far at this tournament.
Nigeria were always going to pose tricky opposition, and while they had to weather a storm early on, Hrubesch’s side always looked to have an extra gear to move into when needed.
