The super eagles of Nigeria led by German tactician Gernot Rohr sit at second place with just three points from their opening two matches in group D at the World Cup.
Croatia leads the pack with six points with one game left to spare after defeating Nigeria (2 0) in the opening match fixture with an own goal from Nigerian midfielder Etebo and Luka Modric, who converted his effort from the spot.
They also went on to take all three points with three unreplied goals against World Cup favorites Argentina with goals from Croatia skipper Modric, Barcelona’s ace Rakitic, and Rebecca.
Nigeria, on the other hands who are second on the group, responded positively from a defeat to Croatia by defeating Iceland in their second group D fixture with Ahmed Musa inspiring Nigeria to a famous victory (2-0) with the former Leicester man finding the back of the net twice.
Iceland and Argentina who sit on third and fourth place respectively, with one point each after a draw (1 1) from their opening fixture with 5-time balon’ D’OR winner and La Albeiste Captain Messi failed to convert from the spot.
The last game from group D comes up on the 26th of June with qualifications into the round of 16 up for grab for the top two.
Croatia who currently sit at the top of the group with a game in hand are guaranteed of qualification into the next round not minding what happens in the last game of the round but are not yet guaranteed top spot.
The second spot for qualification is up for grabs for the remaining three teams with Nigeria having the upper hand with three points in the bag compares to Iceland and Argentina’s one point each.
However, Nigeria still have a big task to face before qualification as they face Argentina in their last group D fixture. A draw for Nigeria will see them finish with four points and will depend on Croatia who face Iceland to either win or draw their game.
A win against Argentina will cement Nigeria’s place in the round of 16 regardless of what happens in the other group fixture. A situation whereby Nigeria loses the game to Argentina will see them automatically out of the World Cup.
As it stands, Nigeria are in pole position to qualify in as much as they avoid a defeat to Argentina as Iceland need a miracle to beat table topper Croatia in the final group D fixture.
Nigeria faces Argentina while Croatia locks horns with Iceland in their last group game which will kick off at 7 pm Nigerian time.
Guest Writer – Alabi Nicholas
