Nigeria earned the first victory in the Group D at the 2018 World Cup, beating Iceland 2-0 at Volgograd Arena as a slight +200 underdog, while the clash was ended in the under of the total of 2.5 goals at -215. Iceland missed the penalty in the second half, so Our Boys will have a difficult task against Croatia in the ultimate game of the Group D, while Nigeria meets Argentina who’s still in the race for the knock-out phase.
Game Recap
Unlike Iceland, the Super Eagles took advantage of their chances to deservedly beat Our Boys with a couple of goals in the second half, while Nigeria’s hero is a 25-year old striker Ahmed Musa who scored a tremendous brace. In the first half, Nigeria didn’t have a single shot towards Our Boys’ goalkeeper, while Iceland had some good scoring opportunities, but they couldn’t find the back of the net, so we saw another draw at the halftime at -110.
In the second half, Nigeria looked like a completely different team, pilling the pressure on Iceland, and in the 49th minute, Ahmed Musa scored his first goal of the match with a beautiful drop-kick. Nigeria took 16 shots in the second 45 minutes, twelve more than their rival while having the ball on their feet for 52% of the time. In the 75th minute, Ahmed Musa doubled the lead after he dribbled past the goalkeeper to seal the victory at +200, also covering the spread at -1.5 with the wages at +540.
Iceland had a chance for a comeback in the 83rd minute, but Gylfi Sigurdsson missed the penalty awarded by a Video Assistant Referee to tear apart the bettors who wagered on both teams to score at +120. Likewise, it was a sad moment for those who were betting on the over of the total of 2.5 goals at +170, as Iceland certainly deserved to score at least one goal in this match. The Our Boys were slight +170 favorites to beat Nigeria in this one.
This Nigeria’s victory continues the madness in the Group D, as only Croatia clinched the knock-out spot, while all other three teams will battle for the second spot of the group table. The Super Eagles will meet Argentina as +500 underdogs in the Matchday 3 of the group stage, while the odds are +162 on Nigeria to qualify for the next round. Iceland is at +400 to reach the knock-out phase, according to BetDSI Sportsbook, and Our Boys will face Croatia on next Tuesday as slight +220 underdogs to win the game.
