Chelsea midfielder John Mikel Obi played
an offensive role in helping Nigeria reach the quarter-finals of the
Olympic football tournament in Brazil on Sunday night.
The Nigeria captain looked threatening in their 1-0 victory over
Sweden, making it six points out of six from Group B and guaranteeing
top spot thanks to a spectacular diving header from Sadiq Umar.
Both sides played conservatively for much of the match under the weight of humidity at the Amazonia Arena in Manaus, but it was Mikel who attempted several shots from all sorts of angles. The Blues midfielder, who will re-join Antonio Conte’s
squad once Nigeria's Olympic campaign ends, caused trouble inside the
first 10 minutes, although he was unable to beat the Swedish goalkeeper
Linde Andreas.
Mikel
continued to keep the opposition midfield in check while giving the
attack an extra man with his swift forward runs and he came especially
close to scoring from a driven 16-yard strike straight after the
interval, forcing Andreas to parry. The 29-year-old influenced
proceedings throughout a tense second half, when the experience of a
player with a complete trophy cabinet in English football proved vital
to reassure and reinvigorate a team of largely under-23s.
Nigeria eventually found the winning goal six minutes from time as
Umar, a prodigious striker for AS Roma, swooped in to deflect a
pinpoint, curling cross towards the net. A late rally from Sweden, who
drew 2-2 with Colombia in their opening game, threatened to level the
scoreline after Mikel was substituted. Yet, they were met by a robust Nigerian defence.
Mikel
and his team-mates displayed growing cohesion and confidence in
comparison to their remarkable 5-4 win against Japan last Thursday,
which took place only a few hours after the Nigeria squad touched down
in Brazil following a logistical nightmare.
The Atlanta 1996 gold medallists will hope to continue their upwards
spiral in their final preliminary fixture against Colombia in Salvador
on Wednesday night (11pm UK time). Their coach, Samson Siasia, could
take the opportunity to rest key players with first place in Group B
beyond doubt, ahead of a tough quarter-final against either Denmark,
Iraq or Brazil.
ChelseaFc
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