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It was a revelatory performance by Musa, who claimed a distinction here as Leicester City’s first World Cup goalscorer.
The turning point came at half-time, when Nigeria’s players gathered in a huddle on the pitch, while their opponents ran back indoors to cool down.
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For his second, he bolted down the left, turned sharply to befuddle Kari Arnason, and lashed a shot high into the open net.
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| Ahmed Musa celebrates scoring the first of his two goals |
Just when it seemed that Iceland were crafting another masterclass in defensive suffocation, despite a Volgograd evening hot enough to remind them of their geothermal springs, Nigeria’s Ahmed Musa struck twice to derail the dream.
At a stroke, the complexion of Group D was transformed, while
the Icelandic fans’ much-loved thunderclap chant rang out, by the end,
with barely a fraction of its customary Viking menace.
The repercussions were felt far beyond the confines of this stunning
stadium, nestled in the shadow of The Motherland Calls, Russia’s
colossal monument to the Battle of Stalingrad.
Argentina, such strange
underachievers at this World Cup so far, were gifted an unexpected last
chance to qualify, while Croatia could be all but assured of starting
the next round as winners.
For Iceland, alas, described by
their own captain Aron Gunnarsson as “everybody’s second favourite
team”, the chance of a last-16 place became slender at best. Nigeria,
inspired by the irrepressible Ahmed Musa, exploited their second-half
lethargy with gusto.
It was a revelatory performance by Musa, who claimed a distinction here as Leicester City’s first World Cup goalscorer.
The turning point came at half-time, when Nigeria’s players gathered in a huddle on the pitch, while their opponents ran back indoors to cool down.
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The effect was instant, with Musa exemplifying a new-found purpose and hunger. First he caught Ragnar Sigurdsson dithering, seizing on Victor Moses’ pass to launch a strike beyond Hannes Halldorsson’s reach.
For his second, he bolted down the left, turned sharply to befuddle Kari Arnason, and lashed a shot high into the open net.
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| Musa took the ball around goalkeeper Halldorsson before scoring his second |
Two years
on from the day that Iceland sealed their improbable advance to the
knockout phase of Euro 2016, they wobbled in the face of Nigeria’s
energy and endeavour.
For all that Nigeria had been numbingly bereft of
creativity in their opening match against Croatia, they had lost only
through an own goal and a penalty, and last night they recaptured their
verve in open play.
Moses was switched to his favoured position on the right, where he
has usually played for Chelsea, while John Obi Mikel, now chasing one
final payday in China, relished his marshalling duties in the centre of
midfield.
“In the second half it was a different team,” Gernot Rohr,
Nigeria’s German coach, acknowledged. “We realised that we needed to do
much more. They key was to make more counter-attacks.”
The vast
travelling band from the North Atlantic had dared to expect more.
Astonishingly, almost 10 per cent of Iceland’s entire population of
334,000 was crammed inside the Volgograd Arena, with the supporters in
royal blue exhorting their team with unrelenting noise.
They formed
quite a spectacle, touring the sights of Mamayev Kurgan, the city’s
memorial complex, and offered some extraordinary accounts of their
journeys.
Two friends from Reykjavik had travelled all the way to
southwest Russia in a battered Lada. “You know the Vikings were great
explorers, sailors and fighters,”
Gretar Jonsson, a film student,
explained. “So, we have a little bit of their desire to have an
adventure.”
In football, the Icelanders know all about what it means to be
intrepid. They eclipsed every expectation two summers ago by beating
England, before reaching a first World Cup atop a qualifying group that
included Croatia, whom they must beat on Tuesday if they are to have any
hope of extending their stay.
Their coach, Heimir Hallgrimsson, who
famously moonlights as a dentist, was not about to sound too pessimistic
at the prospect.
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| Sigurdsson blazes over from the penalty spot |
“It was just not our day, in so many ways,” he reflected after this
defeat. “But we didn’t think we would go through this World Cup without a
loss.
Now, we only need to beat Croatia, and while that is easier said
than done, we have beaten them once before in Iceland, and we finished
ahead of them in our group.
We have played each other four times in four
years. We always say that we are like a married couple ‒ we try to
break up but we always get back together again.”
Hallgrimsson expects a bruising
battle against the Croatians, likely to rest a couple of their stars,
since Iceland have picked up a red card in three of the past four
contests.
One accusation that can never be levelled at his side is a
lack of appetite for the fight. Although visibly wilting in these
temperatures.
They never stopped pressing forward even when 2-0 down,
earning a late penalty thanks to a VAR replay that resolved a foul by
Tyronne Ebuehi on Alfred Finnbogason in the area.
But Everton’s Gylfi
Sigurdsson could not grasp the moment, with his spot-kick sailing high
into the stands.
While crestfallen, Iceland’s loyal disciples did not despair,
sustaining their signature chant long into the night.
There was, they
recognised, still a mathematical chance of a reprieve. That was a truth
not lost on Argentinian fans, either, however much Nigeria plan to spoil
the party.
Who will join Luka Modric in the second round: Musa, Messi
or, just possibly, Hordur Magnusson? It promises to be a thrill finding
out.