That's all from me this evening. Next up; Ghana take on the USA.
92' - The game finishes 0-0 between both sides. The first goalless draw of the World Cup has arrived in what proved a rather lifeless game. Neither side capitalised on Argentina's victory yesterday, but both have earned themselves a point.
90' - Two minutes times added on.
89' - Ameobi's powerful header is blocked from the goal.
88' - Heydari replaced by Masoud Shojaei.
86' - Haghihgi collects Ameobi's glancing header in the closing stages of the game.
85' - Ghoochannejhad fouls Ambrose.
82' - Odemwingie blasts a fierce volley past the post but the outcome is irrelevant as he was adjudged to have handled the ball.
80' - As the game is drawing to a close it's looking increaslingly likely that this could well be the first goalless game in this World Cup.
77' - Dejagah is replaced by Jahan Bakhsh for Iran.
76' - Dejagah caught under the ball as wastes a good chance for Iran. Alarm bells ringing for Nigeria after that chance.
74' - Adranik is the first yellow card of the game as Onazi's shot is easily gathered.
74' - Scrappy game from both sides. Onazi does just enough to dispossess Dejagah.
71' - Iran supporters in good voice as they are enjoying the occasion. Whether they're enjoying the standard of football is another matter.
70' - Huge chance wasted by Shola Ameobi who headers wide. He really should have hit the target from that range.
68' - Confirmation that Odemwingie replaces Azeez for Nigeria.
67' - Azeez is down again with cramp. Peter Odemwingie is expected to replace the midfielder.
66' - Ghoochannejhad blazes over on the turn. By no means an easy chance to control under pressure. Remains 0-0.
65' - Dejagah's corner is far too deep, but they now have a costless-kick in the opposite corner as Eminike lunges in.
64' - Iran pressurising the Nigerian defence and they have earned themselves a corner.
61' - Nigeria supporters are making their feelings known as boo's and jeers can be heard around the stadium. Frustration is growing within the stands.
59' - Another wasteful cross from Nigeria. This time it's Ambrose with what can only be described as an improvised ball into the box.
58' - Eminike blazes wide from an angle. A give-and-go with Ameobi was the better option for Nigeria.
57' - Nearly an hour gone and the game lacks urgency from both sides and remains sluggish from the first half.
56' - Enyeama gathers the ball from out wide in style.
53' - Much more positive from Nigeria as Mikel and Azeez link up, with Ameobi failing to make a conneciton with the ball. The resulting corner was poor and came to nothing.
51' - Shola Ameobi replaces Victor Moses and Keshi looks to liven up his side.
50' - Joseph Yobo brings down Ashkan Dejagah.
49' - Ghoochannejhad searches for the top corner with a curling effort but it causes little problem for Enyeama.
47' - Victor Moses wasteful from the corner, it's not the first time the winger has passed opportunities by in this match.
47' - Azeez's poor cross deflects for a corner.
45' - Nigeria get the second-half underway.
The teams are back on the pitch for the second-half. Let's see what tactical changes both sides make.
Half-time: It remains goalless between Iran and Nigeria so far. Nigeria have been more active in the final third but final ball is lacking. Iran are holding firm at the back but offering little the other end, despite improving in the latter stages of the half. A few changes from either side could easily improve the standard of this game.
45' - We're into stoppage time for the first half.
44' - Musa and Eminike appealing for a handball but the referee denies the penalty. Excellent run from Musa beforehand as he laid the ball off in search of Eminike.
42' - Azeez wins a foul for Nigeria.
39' - Eminike scuffs a shot from the corner of the box as he ignores his options. Nigeria trying to force an opener, it seems.
38' - Onazi's speculative shot from distance causes little trouble for Iran.
37' - Queiroz calming his team down from his technical area.
35' - John Obi Mikel bodychecks Ashkan Dejagah. Iran starting to believe they can trouble the African Cup of Nations holders.
34' - Moses' breaks down the left and outpaces Montazeri, but loses possession in the box.
33' - Superb save from Enyeama to deny Ghoochannejhad with Iran's first chance.
33' - Iran threatening at the other end as Ghoochannejhad wins the corner.
31' - Ghoochannejhad fouled on the halfway line. Costless-kick came to nothing unfortunately for Iran.
30' - Musa tried catching out Haghihgi from his costless-kick and very nearly succeeded. Lovely improvised effort.
28' - Joseph Yobo replaces Oboabona, who clearly hasn't recovered from his earlier knock. The former Everton man provides further steel and experience for the Super Eagles.
27' - Montazeri more convincing as he times his tackle on Musa well. The Nigerian's pace was the defining factor in that phase of play.
26' - Neither side getting much joy attacking so far. Iran lacking any threat whilst Nigeria are struggling to pick a pass.
22' - Oboabona returns to action following his brief spell out of the game as Nigeria are restored to eleven men.
22' - Reza Ghoochannejhad's first real involvement saw a lovely touch from the forward and Iran's first real break. Dejagah went down on the edge of the box but the referee waved on play.
20' - Remains 0-0 so far. Nigeria looking the side more likely to break the deadlock.
18' - Nigeria have a costless-kick in the centre circle after John Obi Mikel was fouled twice without an advantage being played.
17' - Ambrose's cross aimed for Moses but Haghighi is quick to gather.
16' - Nigeria remain the side with most possession but the chances have dried up in the last couples of minutes.
12' - Moses fizzes a ball across Iran's box. Montazeri and Hosseini targeted by Nigeria's left side so far, with Moses and Eminike causing problems.
20:10 - Onazi back to his feet and ready to return to action for Nigeria. No early sub is required.
20:08 - Onazi down receiving treatment after stretching for his shot. He's expected to recover.
20:08 - Hosseini's pace exploited by Nigeria as Onazi's shot goes wide.
20:07 - Musa's goal is disallowed as Haghihgi fouled. Very fortunate for Iran.
20:06 - Emenike's cross deflected by Montazeri for a corner. All early pressure from Nigeria.
20:05 - Nigeria seeing more possession and first to every second ball so far, as expected.
20:02- Moses drives and has an early shot but it wasn't the greatest connection.
20:00 - We're underway in Curitiba!
19:53 - Both sides are in the tunnel and looking prepared for their opening fixture.
19:50 - Nigerian shot-stopper Vincent Enyeama becomes the third Nigerian to play in three successive World Cup tournaments, matching the achievements of fellow countrymen Jay Jay Okocha and Nwankwo Kanu. Enyeama also kept more clean sheets than any goalkeeper in Europe's top five leagues last season, keeping 21.
19:49 - Iran's Javad Nekounam will make earn his 140th cap for Iran tonight. An excellent achievement that only Japan's Yasuhito Endo can match of all players at this World Cup (145 caps).
19:43 - Neither Iran or Nigeria qualified for the knockout stages from their previous World Cup campaigns. After Argentina's win over Bosnia last night, both sides will surely be gunning for a victory, as it puts either side in an excellent position to qualify.
19:24 - Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel has had his say on what the World Cup means to him and why not to write off Nigeria:
"This is my first World Cup. I want to make sure we achieve something coming here. We don't just want to come and make up the numbers, we want to do well."
19:22 - Fulham's Ashkan Dejagah also spoke highly of Queiroz recently:
“The team has really come on since Queiroz came into the fold. We are playing football at a much higher level. The coach has a lot of experience and has worked with some top teams. He has tried to pass on his know-how to the players and I think we’ve been working well together up until now. We just need to stay on the right track.”
19:20 - Grasshoppers goalkeeper Daniel Davari had this to say in an interview with FIFA regarding Carlos Queiroz:
“Queiroz gives off positive vibes. I’ve worked with many different coaches in Germany, and I’ve seen a lot of things, but I’ve really benefitted from Queiroz’s experience.”
19:15 - The last time these two nations squared up against one another, it was Nigeria who were victorious. A 1-0 won in 1998 was enough to clinch the win for the Super Eagles with Ahmed Garba's goal the deciding factor.
19:06 - Confirmed Iran line-up: Haghighi; Montazeri, Hosseini, Sadeghi, Pouladi; Heydari, Nekounam, Teymourian, Hajsafi; Dejagah; Ghoochannejhad.
19:04 - Confirmed Nigeria line-up: Enyeama, Ambrose, Oshaniwa, Oboabona, Omeruo, Mikel, Onazi, Azeez, Musa, Moses, Emenike.
18:30 - Nigeria were massive favourites in their qualification groups. The current African Cup of Nations holders are arguably one of the strongest sides from Africa, as they were drawn in their group against; Malawi, Kenya and Namibia. Nigeria went unbeaten throughout the group but certainly didn't romp the group like many expected. The Super Eagles were held to draws against all three sides on home soil. Nigeria did top the group but had questions marks looming around their squad, as they only managed eleven goals in the group stage. However, in the play-off for qualification, they had arguably the best draw as they had to defeat Ethiopia over two legs. The first leg in Ethiopia saw a narrow 2-1 win for the Super Eagles until a 2-0 win in the return leg saw Nigeria secure their place in Brazil.
18:20 - Iran's road to Brazil started when Carlos Queiroz was appointed manager in 2013. The former Real Madrid manager's first task was to steer Iran into the World Cup qualification group, as they faced the Maldives in the all-important game. A 5-0 destruction of the country made up by various little islands saw Iran secure a place in one of the Asian groups for the third-round qualifiers.. In their group, Iran were drawn with middle eastern duo Bahrain and Qatar, as well as Indonesia. The highlght of the group stage was a 6-0 win over Bahrian, as well as Ashkan Dejagah marking his debut with a brace against Qatar. A 4-1 victory over Indonesia was the icing on the cake as Iran topped the group and bulldozed their way into the fourth round of qualifiers. The final round of qualifiers saw Iran draw their previous opponents Qatar, as well as South Korea, Lebanon and Uzbekistan. Iran started the group brightly with 1-0 win over Uzbekistan, but they saw a slight collapse in form in the middle of the fixtures. A draw with Qatar and a loss to Lebanon saw Iran lose their way, although a victory over South Korea was sandwiched by the disappointing defeat to Uzbekistan in Tehran. Iran needed a victory in their last qualification match and done just that - a 1-0 victory with huge meaning against South Korea saw Iran book their tickets to Brazil, with Reza Ghoochannejhad scoring the all important goal.
5:00 PM. Nigeria will be making their fifth appearance in the tournament and will have their minds fully focused on starting their campaign by claiming three points, at the expense of Iran. Manager Stephen Keshi will be hoping his side can claim the victory in their opening fixture, as they face two tough fixtures against Bosnia and Argentina.
4:56 PM. Nigeria will be given hope by Iran's record in their World Cup fixtures; having played nine, Iran have scored six and conceded treble that tally, having conceded eighteen. Like Iran, Nigeria's success in the World Cup has been relatively low - their best achievement coming in USA '94 and Frace '98 where they managed to reach the round of sixteen.
4:52 PM. Predicted key-man for Nigeria - Iran:
Iran - Ashkan Dejagah (Fulham). Nigeria - John Obi Mikel (Chelsea).
Predicted line-ups for the fixture (Via the Telegraph):
Iran: 4-2-3-1: Davari; Beitashour, Hosseini, Sadeghi, Pooladi; Nekounam, Teymourian; Haddadifa, Shojaei, Dejagah; Ghoochannejhad.
Nigeria: 4-4-2: Enyeama; Ambrose, Oboabona, Omerou, Oshaniwa; Mikel, Onazi, Azeez, Moses; Odemwingie, Emenike.
4:46 PM. Managed by former Portugal and Real Madrid boss Carlos Queiroz, Iran have earned themselves a formidable reputation within Asia as one of the best defensive units the continent has to offer. Defence is what the Iranian national side have built their style of play, with the resilience at the back proving vital on their road to Brazil.
4:41 PM. Iran will be making their fourth appearance in football's most prestigious tournament this summer in what can only be described as a testing group, featuring their first opponents Nigeria, as well as a resurgent Bosnian side and an Argentinian side led by Lionel Messi. In their previous four outings, Iran have never managed to qualify for the knock-out stages, with Queiroz and his men hoping to cement their place in history and potentially become one of the biggest surprises in the tournament.
4:33 PM. The game will be held in the Arena da Baixada; the stadium in which Brazilian outfit Atlético Paranaense play their home games in Brazil's domestic league. Iran - Nigeria will take part in the first of four group stage matches to be played in the arena. The referee for this match is Ecuadorian official, Carlos Vera.
4:30 PM. Welcome to VAVEL UK's live coverage of the 2014 FIFA World Cup Group F match between Nigeria - Iran. Live coverage of the match will begin from 8PM.