TheLoneCitizen:
Everyone criticizing the ref, when he was obviously bias towards us. Soft penalty, could have sent off Balogun.


If Ighalo had dispatched one of his two chances, we would have defeated Argentina for the first time. I'm very glad that the senior players would be leaving, so young bloods for AFCON.


By the way, Iheanacho was a liability, looking for his goal.
Moses on the other hand was very defensive minded and focus after his goal. Let Rohr continue his revolution.

Fadiga24:


I found the comment highly devoid of meaning thats why I canceled it

COOL10:
It's just this morning I started feeling the pains of yesterday. I feel so empty inside. Which kain thing be this?

forgiveness:



Nigeria stars claim referee robbed them of World Cup last 16 spot as 'big country bias' sees Lionel Messi and Argentina through

SIMON JOHNSON in St Petersburg
3 hours ago

Victor Moses has accused referee Cuneyt Cakir and VAR of robbing Nigeria of a place in the last 16 at the World Cup.

Nigeria lost 2-1 to Argentina on Tuesday as they were eliminted at the group stage by Marcos Rojo's late winner.

But Moses was left furious after Gernot Rohr's side didn’t get a second penalty when Rojo headed the ball against his own arm in the area.

The game was tied 1-1 at the time, but after Cakir reviewed the incident as part of the VAR process, the Turkish match official decided not to award the spot-kick.

Captain Mikel John Obi appeared to suggest afterwards that Cakir didn’t give it because Argentina are one of the more fancied teams in the competition and Moses was in agreement.

When asked by Standard Sport if he felt Nigeria missed out because they’re not as big a team as Argentina, he replied: “Yes. Obviously It was (Lionel) Messi’s day! If you look at it again, we all thought it was a penalty.

“He (Cakir) went to have a look at it again just to confirm it and he came back saying it was not a penalty. But if you look at the replay, it was totally a penalty.

“To have VAR you have to get decisions right and if you’re not getting things right, there is no point having it. Then there is also the playing and stopping the game again for two or three minutes, it’s just got to be right.

“It was definitely a penalty. I think the same decision was given in the Iran vs Portugal game. It was totally the same situation. The referee should have given it.”

When it was put to him that another sign of favouritism came the night before when Cristiano Ronaldo only received a yellow card following a VAR review despite being seen to elbow Iran’s Morteza Pouraliganji, he added: “To me it is kind of getting out of hand. They need to get it right."

Mikel was seen remonstrating with Cakir on the pitch soon after the decision not to penalise Rojo and following the match, he also questioned how VAR is being used.

The former Chelsea midfielder said: “For big countries it goes their way, small countries? I don’t want to comment about it. You can come to your own opinion yourself - that’s all I can say about it.

“I think the most obvious one was the second penalty - I don’t understand how that is not a penalty. I asked the referee ‘did it touch the hand?’ and he said ‘yes’.

“I said ‘why don’t you give the penalty?’ and he said he ‘doesn’t know’. I’m like ‘You don’t know? But you’re the referee, you need to give the penalty’.

“This is a game we should win, we could have scored another penalty, but this is what happens with VAR.”

Argentina took the lead through Messi, but struggled after Moses equalised from the spot in the 51st minute.

The Chelsea right-wing-back does not think Argentina are good enough to win the competition.

France are their next opponents and Moses said: “They’re a good team but it’s not like they beat us 4-0 or 5-0. They will find it hard. It is not going to be easy who they play next. They’re (France) going to be strong.”

Barcelona and Argentina defender Javier Mascherano though feels everyone in the camp has been given a much needed dramatic lift by the victory.

It is believed a rift had grown between some of the players and coach Jorge Sampaoli after they’d picked up just one point from their opening two matches.

Mascherano said: “We did not start the World Cup in the best way, that is clear. We got into a mess, but against Nigeria we were able to clean up the mess a bit. We will see how it continues (against France) on Saturday in Kazan.

"The main thing was to go through. We would have liked to go through first in the group but it was not to be and now we have to face what is coming.

"France are a great team, one of the favourites to win the World Cup. We are not favourites, we are here to fight and to see if it works for us. Hopefully it will be enough.

"Obviously after our failures before there are still a lot of things to put right, but fighting to the end is what earned us the reward. We never backed down.

World Cup Matchday Preview, Wednesday June 27
“Many times this team could have fallen into frustration but against Nigeria we were not frustrated, we fought back and it is a joy that we have been able to take that step forward mentally.”

Meanwhile, Moses admitted immediately after the game he had no idea when Chelsea want him to report back for pre-season training.

Those not involved in the World Cup are due to start preparing for the next campaign on July 9, but obviously those participating in Russia will be given extended time off - the length of which depends on how far their side progresses.

There is a lot of uncertainty at Stamford Bridge right now with the club set to appoint Maurizio Sarri as their new coach, but they have yet to dismiss Antonio Conte.

When asked by Standard Sport when he would start training with Chelsea again, he replied: “I don’t know yet to be honest. I might get a call later on tonight and will find out how long I’ve got off.” And pressed on who will tell him, he added: “I don’t know.”

http://c.newsnow.co.uk/A/943972781?-19787:29107:3

elyte89:



Its only on dis platform DT peeps c iheanacho as a very fantastic footballer, but majority out here most especially in my own area o,he's just an ordinary footballer, some even do question y d gaffer selects him for games,dem no fancy d guy at all.he's just ordinary to dem,but for dis thread na MESSIAH

goldfish80:


If truly the referee said this, then it is a shame. The man is not fit to officiate at this level. If FIFA has any shred of integrity, he should be sent home and made to refund every allowance due to him.
The players should have walked out of the pitch the minute he admitted it was a hand ball and doesn't know why it was a pen.

goldfish80:


The ball hit Rojo's arm from his own header. That's a clear pen everyday of the week. Rojo was clumsy to have made such an error. I've seen such decisions given by Howard Webb and even at the last European championship. If Ekong or Balogun made same error do you think they would have been spared?

forgiveness:


From the referee's response, it was a blunder call not to give a penalty.

So sad.

goldfish80:


The iheanacho hype is unreal. It's is an advanced form of trolling in the real sense of it.
I haven't come across anyone in real life who rates him as highly as some people here.

forgiveness:


I think Rohr should stay but we need to change his assistants and goalkeeper trainer.

For me, John Obuh is the best man better to replace those yeye assistants.

But if we don't want a Nigerian who will be bias in selection and who will be able to convince our foreign born then John Salako is the man.

Besides, Idowu is a very good player.

Kog45:
COOL10 easy o I beg cos naija players dey chilling now,football na win or lose o.

TheGoodJoe:


The referee still get advices from the VAR room. Unless we want to say Iceland deserved a penalty due to Ebuehi's arm touching the ball in the last leg, no way Nigeria deserved a penalty.

forgiveness:


Which ever way, na penalty. The ball hit his hand to obstruct a ball going to an opponent.

TheGoodJoe:


John Obuh ke. That is no where close to a creative attacking coach.

TheGoodJoe:
I think a lot of people judge a team based on just on the ball display. Nacho could not handle the pressure from the fast Argentines but off the ball, Nacho was a machine. I earlier pointed out how Nacho tracked an Argentine player from the defence of the Argentines to our defence.

He put in a lot of effort to keep the Argentines under pressure. If people look from this perspective, they will understand the important work the young man put in yesterday.

Nacho had some bad moments but I disagree he was as poor people make it.

forgiveness:


Did you watch John Obuh U17 and U20 boys?

That former made me make U turn to start watching Nigerian Football with keen interest.

That is what I call attacking football.

semid4lyfe:


My opinion of Nacho is not limited to his performance in this world cup

It's an opinion I've reached after watching him over the years at his clubsides & in the green white green.

I'm sorry, he's simply not good enough for the National team.

My 2 Kobo.

TheGoodJoe:


Come on. No way. The rule is clear. If it is a clear accident, no penalty.

elyte89:




If d same scenerio had happened to us,dem go count am as penalty, so baba,forget all dis theory

We can't rule of politics from football

TheGoodJoe:


Come on. No way. The rule is clear. If it is a clear accident, no penalty.

TheGoodJoe:
I think a lot of people judge a team based on just on the ball display. Nacho could not handle the pressure from the fast Argentines but off the ball, Nacho was a machine. I earlier pointed out how Nacho tracked an Argentine player from the defence of the Argentines to our defence.

He put in a lot of effort to keep the Argentines under pressure. If people look from this perspective, they will understand the important work the young man put in yesterday.

Nacho had some bad moments but I disagree he was as poor people make it.

TheGoodJoe:


Creative attacking football. Not just attacking. You can not compare Obuh's boys to even Tella's boys in display, let alone Manu's U17 boys or Amunike's U17 boys.

TheGoodJoe:


Come on. No way. The rule is clear. If it is a clear accident, no penalty.

OMANBALA1:

Do you actually know what is revolution? Please and please cut the crap