The Footie Fool

Group F of the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2007 Canada opened up at a sold out Royal Athletic Park in Victoria today with 2 matches, Scotland against Japan and Nigeria taking on Costa Rica.

Japan 3 Scotland 1

I completely underestimated Japan. And apparently, so to did Scotland as Japan dominated the game and hammered Scotland 3-1. And that final is being kind to Scotland. If it weren’t for some heroic goalkeeping from Andrew MacNeil the score could have been double that.

Japan were a solid unit. They defended well, moved the ball with ease and seemingly attacked at will, which quickly silenced the mostly pro-Scotland stadium. Forward Kazuhisa Kawahara and midfielder Yosuke Kashiwagi were deadly fast, while striker Yashito Morishima used his size to his full advantage, bringing down anything tossed up at him.

Scotland, on the other hand, looked nervous, rushed and timid. They failed to put any kind of pressure on Japan and were content to let Japan bring the game to them. When they did attack, it was long ball after long ball upfield to Steven Fletcher, who must have felt like the loneliest Scot on the field with the lack of support he received from the rest of the Scottish forwards. It wasn’t until late in the second half when subs Ross Campbell and Robert Snodgrass came on that Scotland looked like an attacking unit and by then it was too late.

Nigeria 1 Costa Rica 0

The second game of the double header was 2005 finalist Nigeria taking on Costa Rica. While not as one sided as the first game, there was no doubt that Nigeria controlled this game. They are big, strong, fast and talented on both the ground and in the air. Plus they had the most colorful support of the day, with hundreds of fans dancing, drumming and singing in the bleachers across from me. The only weakness in the Nigerian game tonight was an inability to put the ball on target. Striker Brown Ideye finally found the bag when he headed in a corner in the 75th minute to give the Flying Eagles a 1-0 win.

Nigeria lost their keeper Moses Ocheje at the start of the second half when he collided with teammate Suraj Sodiq. He was taken off the field and to a local hospital. Not sure if he will return or the extent of his injuries.

….oh, and the streaker

Yep, this guy is one class act if there ever was one. FIFA will no doubt be impressed by the security at Royal Athletic park after a fan managed to not only run onto the field, but cover the entire length of the field, tackle a security guard, stop, catch his breath and then decide to give himself up when he realized there was nowhere else to run. Ah yes, what would a major soccer tourny be without one.

A note for fans going to games in Victoria

Arrive early. For some strange reason there are only 2 entrance points into the grounds at Royal Athletic Park. We were 20 minutes into the first game when my buddy pointed out that there were still lineups outside the stadium. We got there an hour early and it took us about 25 minutes to get in. Moral is get there at least an hour early if you want to make sure you catch the opening whistle.

On the upside, the beer line moves fast.

Wednesday night sees Japan against Costa Rica and Nigeria vs Scotland.