Ahmed Musa returned to the line-up with devastating effect as he scored both goals for Nigeria to help them resuscitate their World Cup hopes in a 2-0 win over Iceland at the Volgograd Arena on Friday.
Left out of his country’s opening Group D game at the tournament in Russia, Musa showed his worth with two outstanding strikes that put the Africans back in contention for a second round place.
The opening goal, soon after a drab first half, saw him pluck the ball out of the air with his first touch before blasting it home. The second goal came in the 75th minute, when after a break down the wing, Musa cut inside and waltzed around the goalkeeper before firing the ball into the net.
Iceland’s Gylfi Sigurdsson shot an 82nd minute penalty over the top of the bar, denying his team a chance to try to force a late comeback.
All three other teams in the group remain in the hunt to go through with Croatia, but Argentina and Iceland know they have to win to have any chance of progressing.

Musa marks return with winning double as Nigeria beat Iceland

Nigeria’s forward Ahmed Musa (back) avoids Iceland’s goalkeeper Hannes Halldorsson on his way to score their second goal. (AFP)
Reuters, Volgograd, Russia
Friday 22 June 2018
Last Update: Wednesday, 20 May 2020 KSA 09:57 - GMT 06:57
DAY | WEEK |
-
16916 Views Loud explosion heard in Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh
-
3326 Views Sinopharm Peru vaccine trial volunteer dies of COVID-19 pneumonia, received placebo
-
2752 Views Israel talks tough on Iran, Hezbollah, Hamas: Our response to be extreme in next war
-
2538 Views US Senate Republicans unite behind failed efforts to halt Trump impeachment trial
-
749 Views German court blocks return of two refugees to Greece, citing risks facing them
-
593 Views Coronavirus: Dubai suspends dental services in some clinics amid rising cases in UAE
-
24262 Views Coronavirus: Dubai temporarily postpones Pfizer vaccine campaign amid global shortage
-
19839 Views Saudi Arabia’s PIF to invest 3 trillion riyals over next 10 years: Crown Prince
-
16916 Views Loud explosion heard in Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh
-
10517 Views The American University of Beirut’s battle for survival
-
9118 Views Full moon to align directly above Kaaba in Mecca on Jan. 28
-
8582 Views Coronavirus: Dubai restaurants offer discounts for vaccinated diners
SHOW MORE