#1) The absolutely unnecessary foul by Obasi on the left edge of the box. The offender was already being marked by a defender, but Obasi came streaking in recklessly and earned himself a yellow card, as well as the set piece that produced South Korea's equalizer.
#2) Instead of following the shot, Yakubu (captain) double over and let his arms hang down, disappointed that he had not received a pass. When the shot trickled out of the goalkeeper's arms, there was no one there to pick up the pieces. The worst part is I'm not even sure Yakubu noticed.
3) The Nigerian keeper, Enyeama, taking a step toward his wall just before Park Chu-Young let fly his shot. I'm sure the foul was a great blunder to begin with, but this time the onus was all on the goalie. Why would you take a step toward the wall RIGHT before the shot? I was never a keeper but even I know that a keeper's duty on set pieces is to set up the wall and cover the other side of the goal. If the shooter takes it over the wall, then you do your best to make a play. And if the shot is very good and dips below the crossbar, then there was really nothing you could do--it was a great shot. But you have to force the great shot, you have to make it as difficult as possible. Park's shot was accurate, yes, but it was weak and definitely savable.
4) Yakubu lunges to intercept a pass, blows by the first defender with a teammate streaking inside him, but cuts the ball for himself, and sees it cleared away by Lee Jung-Soo. He should have cut it inside for his teammate. Lee Jung-Soo was a real hero after saving this goal and scoring the 1st.
5) YAKUBU!!! ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME? This is the blunder of the tournament! One of the greatest blunders in soccer history! This miss is going to go on the greatest bloopers of all time reel! And you smiled... Your team is down a goal in a must win situation, you are the captain of that team, you have the ball two feet from the middle of an OPEN goal--that's 192 square feet of real estate you could have hit--and you pass it outside the post. There was even a second Nigerian at the back post if he had somehow missed it. It was the golden chance screaming for all Africa and it went unanswered. Change jerseys with Shittu.
6) Martins on a great through pass from Ogbuku, one-on-one with the keeper, in the 79th minute, just after Greece conceded the goal you needed them to. The stars were aligned. The fucking planets were aligned. And he chips the goalie but sends it wide.
HOW MANY CHANCES DO YOU NEED? HOW MANY SILVER PLATTERS? Especially, South Korea comes from behind to take the lead. South Korea played well but were often unlucky. Nigeria got very lucky but were not good. They were dumb. Except for maybe Uche, who cleverly rushed in past a careless defender to tuck away the first goal. He also hit the post on a zinger from distance.
For all the chances they just barely missed, South Korea did however get very lucky on their first goal. It was a great ball in, but Lee-Jung Soo did not score intentionally. Missing the header, he lost his balance and reflexive stuck his leg out to catch himself in the exact moment that the ball reached him.
I was also furious when the Nigerian keeper got a yellow card for shielding the ball. The referee would never have made the call on a field player doing the exact same thing...
Also, kudos to South Korea for some very stylish jerseys.
FUNNY COMMENTARY:
"Nigeria are 3-5 when they score 1st."
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