Musa scored twice, Nigeria saved Argentina's chance to advance

Ahmed Musa's speed and powerful shots helped Nigeria beat Iceland 2-0. This result opened the door for the final matches of Group D.

The confrontation between Iceland and Nigeria took place under the nervous eyes of Argentine fans. In case Iceland wins or draws, Lionel Messi and his teammates will lose the right to decide in the final round.

Throughout the first half of the match, Argentina fans were constantly living in fear. That was the time when Iceland often had dangerous crosses into the middle. The high jumps of the Nordic players repeatedly put the Nigerian goal in an alarming position.

However, apart from taking advantage of set pieces to hang the ball high into the middle, Iceland did not have many attacking options. Having to play as the “superior” made them quite confused. To gain an advantage before the final match, Iceland had to push up their formation to look for a goal. That was a really reckless decision, because Iceland had given up their strong point of counter-attacking to play against their weak point.

That “knife-playing” move cost Iceland. Just a few minutes into the second half, they were doused with cold water by their opponents. After winning the ball in their own half, Nigeria launched a lightning counter-attack. Victor Moses raced down the right wing, then passed the ball right into Ahmed Musa’s path. The Leicester striker, after a neat touch of control, unleashed a hammer-like volley that left goalkeeper Hannes Halldorsson helpless.

Musa's opening goal was the turning point of the match. Nigeria, relieved mentally, played with great enthusiasm. Iceland's push up the pitch in search of an equalizer created more space for Nigeria's speedy strikers.

Musa was the standout performer at the Volgograd Arena, constantly threatening the opposition goal with his speed and powerful shots. Shortly after sending a warning shot that hit the crossbar, Musa made it 2-0 by soloing past a defender, then past goalkeeper Halldorsson before slotting the ball into the net.

At the end of the match, Iceland was awarded a penalty after the referee consulted VAR technology. Unfortunately, Gylfi Sigurdsson shot over the bar, missing the chance to reduce the score.

In the end, Nigeria defeated Iceland 2-0. With this result, the situation of winning the second ticket to the group stage is still wide open for three teams: Nigeria, Argentina and Iceland.

Group D rankings