Mikel ends his goal drought as Uruguay beat Nigeria

Mikel Obi rarely scores but on a night that he won his 50th cap for Nigeria he scored the goal that had given the Super Eagles hope in the game against Uruguay in the FIFA Confederations Cup holding in Brazil. The goal from the Chelsea star in the 37th minute of the Group B game was a response to the opener by Diego Lugano who hit the first goal of the game with a tap-in for the South Americans in the 19th minute.
Mikel whose last goal for Chelsea was in January 2007 off a cup game, was the heart of the team in a match he scored the fourth for his country. Before the quality goal in Salvador, the midfielder last scored for the country in Calabar in October 2012. But if Mikel’s goal was superb, Diego Forlan’s hit was priceless as the Uruguayan put his country ahead in the 51st minute on the night he won his 100th cap. That goal became the difference between both countries with the South Americans gaining the better chance of reaching the semi-finals. They will play against the competition underdogs Tahiti on Sunday while the Eagles have the uphill task of beating world champions Spain to have any possible chance to qualify. All the Uruguayans need is to beat Tahiti more than the 6-1 handed them by Nigeria.
Before the loss in Salvador, the Eagles had gone unbeaten in 18 games. The Uruguay are now unbeaten in 12 competitive matches against African countries with eight wins and four draws. Uruguay and Nigeria met for the first time in a competitive match with the Confederations Cup game.