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MOTD- Tahiti 1-6 Nigeria

By on June 17, 2013

Tahiti have avoided suffering major embarrassment by scoring a goal in their first ever Confederations Cup match, a 6-1 loss to Nigeria. The tiny South Pacific island, ranked 138th in the Fifa World rankings, lost to the 2013 African Cup of Nations winners ranked 31st by Fifa, although at least less then they were expected to lose by. Tahiti, who usually struggle to attract 100 fans to their matches, put up an inspiring performance in their first match of their first global football competition, and although a losing caused Nigeria worries when on the attack. The Tahitian side, only consisting of one professional, Maram Vahirua, took on the mighty African side at the Estadio Mineirao, with the Oceanic nation unsurprisingly dropping to last place in Group B.

Although the Eddie Eteata’s unsteady side looked hopeful before the start of the match, they cruelly went down within five minutes of kickoff when an attempted clearance was accidentally blocked by the referee and fell to Nigeria’s Elderson. The defender’s fierce shot deflected off the thigh of Jonathan Tehau, before the chest of Tahiti’s Nicolas Vallar unfortunately diverted the ball past a helpless Xavier Samin into the back the defender’s own net. Nigeria looked to be enjoying themselves as they danced around their inferior opponents, and the African side doubled their lead in the tenth minute when a misplaced Tahiti pass allowed the Super Eagles to intercept the loose ball. They worked it up to Nnamdi Oduamadi, who beat two players before curling a cool shot into the top corner of the net from eight yards. Oduamadi then made it three in the twenty-sixth minute by poking the ball into the back of the open net after Samin spilled Ahmed Musa’s cross.

Nigeria seemed to be taking the game casually, and after wasting multiple wonderful opportunities allowed Tahiti to score a consolation goal shorty after the start of the second half when Vahirua’s lofted corner the head of Tehau at the back post, who blasted a low header into the back of the net. But Nigeria inevitably scored a few more goals, the first of which came in the sixty-eighth minute when Tehau accidentally turned the ball into his own net from a Nigeria cross. Oduamadi tapped home Brown Ideye’s cross in the seventy-sixth minute, before Echiejile slammed home Nigeria’s sixth goal in four minutes later. Tahiti whthered the remaining storm though, managing to hold on to a 6-1 loss.
Man of the Match: Nnamdi Oduamadi

About Alex Morgan

Alex Morgan, founder of Football Every Day, lives and breaths football from the West Coast of the United States in California. Aside from founding Football Every Day in January of 2013, Alex has also launched his own journalism career and hopes to help others do the same with FBED. He covers the San Jose Earthquakes as a beat reporter for QuakesTalk.com and his work has also been featured in the BBC's Match of the Day Magazine.