Thursday, April 18, 2002
Eagles educate Vogts' fledglings
By Brian Scott
Scotland 1 - 2 Nigeria
It wasn't all bad for Berti Vogts at Pittodrie last night, despite Scotland's failure to build on the promising start given them by Christian Dailly in this friendly with Nigeria.
Dailly's effort loops into the net
(LaurenceGriffiths/Allsport)
The new manager was bound to have seen signs of progress from his fledgling side after the humbling experience of losing 5-0 to France in Paris last month.
Vogts used the occasion to blood no fewer than seven international novices, although none of them made quite the same impression as Julius Aghahowa did with his two goals for the Africans.
The Ukraine- based player scored either side of the interval, celebrating each time with an amazing series of somersaults which contrived to endear him to the home crowd.
The suspicion beforehand was that, if Nigeria chose to extend themselves, the Scots would have problems keeping their fans happy. But, in the event, Dailly's early goal, only his second at this level, sharpened everybody's sense of anticipation.
Steven Thompson had gone close with a clipped effort on the volley, following a good move involving Robbie Stockdale and Kevin McNaughton, when Scot Gemmill flighted a corner over from the right flank.
Dailly, possibly surprised at the amount of room afforded him in the Nigerians' penalty box, met the ball powerfully with his head and steered it into the corner of Austin Ejide's net to give Scotland a seventh-minute lead.
Would there be a quick response from the opposition, who selected this match - among others - as a means of preparing to play England in Japan this summer? Jay Jay Okocha answered the question with a stinging drive which Rab Douglas held cleanly.
Yet Scotland, with Gareth Williams having settled into the so-called holding role in midfield, looked largely unflustered as they utilised crisp, passing movements.
Williams was just one of the four new caps with whom they started, Douglas, Stockdale and McNaughton being the others, while Thompson's only experience at this level was as a substitute in the recent French debacle.
The Dundee United striker, alas, found himself in the wrong place when Nigeria's goalkeeper dropped a cross by McCann, otherwise he might have been able to underpin his side's advantage.
A better opportunity came his way midway through the first half, when Paul Lambert sent him clear of the opposition's defence, but he contrived to pull his shot wide.
It was thereabouts that Nwankwo Kanu, who had been trying to exert an influence from a more central area, opted to push forward for the first time and test Douglas's nerve and reflexes.
How well the Arsenal player struck his shot, extending the Celtic goalkeeper to the degree that he ended up tipping the ball one- handed round the post to earn the applause of fans and team-mates alike.
Nigeria, it seemed, were warming to the challenge; an impression which became heightened when, from a free-kick by Okocha, Kanu went desperately close to equalising with an arcing header.
Bartholomew Ogbeche duly duped Stockdale to bring another good save from Douglas although, with 39 minutes gone, the latter had no way of preventing Julius Aghahowa from scoring.
Poor Crainey will not wish to be reminded of his culpability in that instance, having squandered possession and effectively set up the scorer when he would have wanted to keep the ball out of the danger area.
Aghahowa's celebration of the goal was something else, the Nigerian performing a series of somersaults as the Scots wondered what else they might have to contend with before the interval arrived.
They could reflect by that point on a good opening period, one in which Lambert, as well as Thompson, might have followed Dailly's example by scoring. It was just a pity they had allowed Nigeria to get into their stride when they did.
But it was with a fair measure of optimism that they went into the second half, with a fifth new cap, Graham Alexander, and Gary Caldwell on in place of Stockdale and Scot Gemmill respectively.
Caldwell promptly slotted into the deep-lying role which Williams had been performing, allowing the youthful Nottingham Forest player to attempt to find telling passes.
What a pass it was that Williams played to McCann who, dodging past an opponent, cracked in a shot which rebounded from goalkeeper Ejide. He swept another the width of the field, hoping to release McNaughton.
McNaughton, it should be said, helped introduce a bit of pace to the Scots' attack. So, too, did Thompson, although the athletic Nigerians, with Efe Sodje keen to over-lap on the right, were not lacking in that quality.
The Crewe Alexandra player, all the more conspicuous because of the green and white bandana on his head, had just made another good run when Scotland signalled the latest of their substitions.
Off went Williams, to an appreciative roar. On came the sixth debutant, Michael Stewart. But, with 68 minutes gone, the Africans conjured a goal out of nothing, substitute Pius Ikedia venturing down the right and sending in a cross which Aghahowa headed past Douglas.
The Nigerian treated the crowd to another series of flips, by way of toasting his latest success, while the Scots wondered how they'd been found so wanting in defence.
Could they possibly pull a goal back to recover respectability? Enter a seventh new cap, Garry O'Connor, with the Hibs teenager taking over from Thompson.
Alas, had McCann been able to round Ejide when faced with a oneon-one, or had McNaughton kept his crisp volley on target, the Scots could have restored parity. But defeat was no disgrace on an evening which provided genuine reasons for Scottish optimism.
soccernet
Eagles educate Vogts' fledglings
By Brian Scott
Scotland 1 - 2 Nigeria
It wasn't all bad for Berti Vogts at Pittodrie last night, despite Scotland's failure to build on the promising start given them by Christian Dailly in this friendly with Nigeria.
Dailly's effort loops into the net
(LaurenceGriffiths/Allsport)
The new manager was bound to have seen signs of progress from his fledgling side after the humbling experience of losing 5-0 to France in Paris last month.
Vogts used the occasion to blood no fewer than seven international novices, although none of them made quite the same impression as Julius Aghahowa did with his two goals for the Africans.
The Ukraine- based player scored either side of the interval, celebrating each time with an amazing series of somersaults which contrived to endear him to the home crowd.
The suspicion beforehand was that, if Nigeria chose to extend themselves, the Scots would have problems keeping their fans happy. But, in the event, Dailly's early goal, only his second at this level, sharpened everybody's sense of anticipation.
Steven Thompson had gone close with a clipped effort on the volley, following a good move involving Robbie Stockdale and Kevin McNaughton, when Scot Gemmill flighted a corner over from the right flank.
Dailly, possibly surprised at the amount of room afforded him in the Nigerians' penalty box, met the ball powerfully with his head and steered it into the corner of Austin Ejide's net to give Scotland a seventh-minute lead.
Would there be a quick response from the opposition, who selected this match - among others - as a means of preparing to play England in Japan this summer? Jay Jay Okocha answered the question with a stinging drive which Rab Douglas held cleanly.
Yet Scotland, with Gareth Williams having settled into the so-called holding role in midfield, looked largely unflustered as they utilised crisp, passing movements.
Williams was just one of the four new caps with whom they started, Douglas, Stockdale and McNaughton being the others, while Thompson's only experience at this level was as a substitute in the recent French debacle.
The Dundee United striker, alas, found himself in the wrong place when Nigeria's goalkeeper dropped a cross by McCann, otherwise he might have been able to underpin his side's advantage.
A better opportunity came his way midway through the first half, when Paul Lambert sent him clear of the opposition's defence, but he contrived to pull his shot wide.
It was thereabouts that Nwankwo Kanu, who had been trying to exert an influence from a more central area, opted to push forward for the first time and test Douglas's nerve and reflexes.
How well the Arsenal player struck his shot, extending the Celtic goalkeeper to the degree that he ended up tipping the ball one- handed round the post to earn the applause of fans and team-mates alike.
Nigeria, it seemed, were warming to the challenge; an impression which became heightened when, from a free-kick by Okocha, Kanu went desperately close to equalising with an arcing header.
Bartholomew Ogbeche duly duped Stockdale to bring another good save from Douglas although, with 39 minutes gone, the latter had no way of preventing Julius Aghahowa from scoring.
Poor Crainey will not wish to be reminded of his culpability in that instance, having squandered possession and effectively set up the scorer when he would have wanted to keep the ball out of the danger area.
Aghahowa's celebration of the goal was something else, the Nigerian performing a series of somersaults as the Scots wondered what else they might have to contend with before the interval arrived.
They could reflect by that point on a good opening period, one in which Lambert, as well as Thompson, might have followed Dailly's example by scoring. It was just a pity they had allowed Nigeria to get into their stride when they did.
But it was with a fair measure of optimism that they went into the second half, with a fifth new cap, Graham Alexander, and Gary Caldwell on in place of Stockdale and Scot Gemmill respectively.
Caldwell promptly slotted into the deep-lying role which Williams had been performing, allowing the youthful Nottingham Forest player to attempt to find telling passes.
What a pass it was that Williams played to McCann who, dodging past an opponent, cracked in a shot which rebounded from goalkeeper Ejide. He swept another the width of the field, hoping to release McNaughton.
McNaughton, it should be said, helped introduce a bit of pace to the Scots' attack. So, too, did Thompson, although the athletic Nigerians, with Efe Sodje keen to over-lap on the right, were not lacking in that quality.
The Crewe Alexandra player, all the more conspicuous because of the green and white bandana on his head, had just made another good run when Scotland signalled the latest of their substitions.
Off went Williams, to an appreciative roar. On came the sixth debutant, Michael Stewart. But, with 68 minutes gone, the Africans conjured a goal out of nothing, substitute Pius Ikedia venturing down the right and sending in a cross which Aghahowa headed past Douglas.
The Nigerian treated the crowd to another series of flips, by way of toasting his latest success, while the Scots wondered how they'd been found so wanting in defence.
Could they possibly pull a goal back to recover respectability? Enter a seventh new cap, Garry O'Connor, with the Hibs teenager taking over from Thompson.
Alas, had McCann been able to round Ejide when faced with a oneon-one, or had McNaughton kept his crisp volley on target, the Scots could have restored parity. But defeat was no disgrace on an evening which provided genuine reasons for Scottish optimism.
soccernet
