Group F

Nigeria (1-0) Bosnia

Nigeria vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina: Who Will Be No. 2? (UPDATE: It’s Nigeria)

By Andrew Palczewski   |


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Bosnia Herzegovina had a strong showing against Argentina. Will they have one against Nigeria?

UPDATE: Bosnia couldn’t bring their powerful play against Argentina to their match against Ghana, losing the match 1-0 and losing their chance at advancing past group play.

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With Bosnia and Herzegovina losing their last match, and Nigeria playing to a draw in theirs, you might expect Nigeria to be the favorite in a matchup between the two teams.

But according to most experts, it’s the exact opposite.

Even though Bosnia lost their opening match, their strong play against powerhouse Argentina left many talking about how they could emerge as the number two team in Group F. Nigeria, meanwhile, was expected to score against Iran in their first match, but didn’t. Further complicating things for the Super Eagles is the loss of star player Godfrey Oboabona to injury.

Can Nigeria overcome injuries and odds to win? Or will Bosnia take the second spot in Group F? Find out today at 6 PM ET (10 PM UTC).

For play-by-play, minute-by-minute coverage of every ball touch, throw-in, direct kick, indirect kick, yellow card, red card, corner kick, goal kick and every other possible football feat in every World Cup match, tap into VOA’s multilingual, multinational analysis.

Click here to follow the action live, or follow along on Facebook, or on Twitter with #WorldCupVOA.

And for even more exclusive VOA coverage with a special focus on Africa’s national teams, check out VOA’s Francophone blog.

Argentina vs. Iran: A Miracle in the Making? (UPDATE: No Miracle For Iran)

By Andrew Palczewski   |


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Messi fans arrive at Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

UPDATE: Iran failed to get the miracle they desperately needed, losing to Argentina 1-0. With this win, Argentina is guaranteed a spot in the Round of 16; Iran could join them, but it would be difficult.

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When asked about his team’s chances against two-time World Cup champions Argentina, Iran’s coach Carlos Queiroz put it bluntly: “It will require a miracle since Argentina is one of the best teams in the world and also they have one day of rest more than we do.”

Will Iran get their miracle? Or will Argentina fulfill its role as top team in Group F? Find out at 12 PM ET (4 PM UTC) when the teams face off in Belo Horizonte.

For play-by-play, minute-by-minute coverage of every ball touch, throw-in, direct kick, indirect kick, yellow card, red card, corner kick, goal kick and every other possible football feat in every World Cup match, tap into VOA’s multilingual, multinational analysis.

Click here to follow the action live, or follow along on Facebook, or on Twitter with #WorldCupVOA.

And for even more exclusive VOA coverage with a special focus on Africa’s national teams, check out VOA’s Francophone blog.

Iran (0-0) Nigeria

Iran vs. Nigeria: Will One of Their Streaks End? (UPDATE: Nope!)

By Andrew Palczewski   |
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Iran

UPDATE: And it’s a tie! Not only is this the first tie match of the 2014 World Cup, but it means Nigeria and Iran’s winless streaks at the World Cup continue.

Original post:

In our post on the Germany/Portugal match, we said that World Cup matches don’t get much more competitive (Edit: Germany ended up routing Portugal 4-0; hopefully Iran vs. Nigeria will be a more exciting match).

Well, how’s this for competitive: Iran and Nigeria are separated by just ONE POINT in the FIFA World Rankings (Iran is 43rd in the world with 641 points; Nigeria is 44th with 640). But Nigeria and Iran aren’t only playing win the match – they’re playing to break some unlucky streaks: Nigeria hasn’t won in its last eight World Cup matches, while Iran hasn’t won a World Cup match since 1998. With two teams this close, with so much on the line, there’s no doubt that this match should make for some must-watch football when they meet at 3 PM ET (7 PM UDT).

For play-by-play, minute-by-minute coverage of every ball touch, throw-in, direct kick, indirect kick, yellow card, red card, corner kick, goal kick and every other possible football feat in every World Cup match, tap into VOA’s multilingual, multinational analysis.

Click here to follow the action live, or follow along on Facebook, or on Twitter with #WorldCupVOA.

And for even more exclusive VOA coverage with a special focus on Africa’s national teams, check out VOA’s Francophone blog.

Argentina ( 2 - 1 ) Bosnia-Herzegovina

All Eyes On Messi to Lead Argentina to Victory

By Mike Eckel   |
here

Here are the only two words you need to know in preparing for Argentina’s match-up with Group F rival Bosnia-Herzegovina, kicking off at 6 p.m. USEDT (10 p.m. GMT):

Lionel Messi.

The boy genius forward has dazzled the world for years in superlative performances for Spanish giant FC Barcelona. He’s been named the world’s greatest footballer by FIFA four times. And now, as captain of Argentina national squad, he wants to bring a World Cup trophy to his home country for the first time since 1986.

Bosnia-Herzegovina isn’t going to go without a fight, mainly on account of the fact that this is its first appearance in the World Cup since the break-up of Yugoslavia in the early 1990s. Watch Vedad Ibisevic and Sejad Salihovic closely to lead the attack.

For play-by-play, minute-by-minute coverage of every ball touch, throw-in, direct kick, indirect kick, yellow card, red card, corner kick, goal kick and every other possible football feat in every World Cup match, tap into VOA’s multilingual, multinational analysis.

Click here to follow the action live, or watch it on Twitter at #WorldCupVOA.

And for even more exclusive VOA coverage with a special focus on Africa’s national teams, check out VOA’s Francophone blog.