Nigeria won bronze medal in Rio 2016!
90+5' The fans on the stadium don't have to regret buying the tickets as they have witnessed a great game today. Nigeria had more of the game and were superior. Their manager will certainly be the happier of the two managers. Both sides tried to combine well and to keep the ball on their feet.
90+5' The referee blows his whistle for the final time to end this match
90+4' Luis Aurelio Lopez Fernandez hears fans clapping for his superb goalkeeping. He stops the effort from Saliu Popoola Sodiq (Nigeria) from the edge of the box with a magnificent save. The ball would have probably ended inside the bottom left corner.
90+3' Some patient build-up play from Nigeria as they look to unlock the defence.
90+1' Samson Siasia prepares a substitution. Mohammed Usman is replaced by Saturday Erimuya (Nigeria).
90+2' 4 additional min. will be played.
89' Substitution. Umar Sadiq walks off the pitch and Saliu Popoola Sodiq (Nigeria) comes on as a substitute.
87' Anthony Lozano (Honduras) gets a yellow card.
86' Goal! Marcelo Pereira (Honduras) coolly slots the ball home after a brilliant team effort.
86' It looks like Stanley Amuzie (Nigeria) was seeing red according to his tackle. Sandro Ricci won't tolerate such behaviour on the pitch and blows for a foul. There is a free kick given to Honduras.
85' Umar Sadiq (Nigeria) is desperate to score a goal, but he misses the target after striking the ball well wide of the left post.
84' The defence is alert as they clear a dangerous cross from Kingsley Madu (Nigeria).
82' Rommel Quioto (Honduras) attempted to create a dangerous situation in front of the goal by putting a cross into the box, but the outcome differed from his intention, and no danger occurred. The ball goes out-of-play and Nigeria will have a goal kick.
81' Anthony Lozano (Honduras) is on the ball and tries to beat his opponnent. He does it, but his run is stopped by referee Sandro Ricci who sees an offensive foul.
80' Substitution. Imoh Ezekiel makes way for Kingsley Madu (Nigeria).
78' The free kick from Oscar Salas (Honduras) didn't bring any scoring opportunity, one of the defenders did a good job and knocked it out.
76' Muenfuh Sincere (Nigeria) can count himself lucky for not being sent off after only receiving a caution from the referee.
75' Alberth Elis (Honduras) tries to send a pass but it's blocked.
73' Allans Josue Vargas Murillo (Honduras) seems to be alright and is okay to carry on.
71' Goal! Anthony Lozano (Honduras) slotted the ball past the goalkeeper!
70' Allans Josue Vargas Murillo (Honduras) requires medical treatment, so the referee stops play and signals for the physio to come onto the pitch.
69' A pass by Allans Josue Vargas Murillo (Honduras) ends up in no man's land, and the attacking effort comes to an end.
68' Emmanuel Daniel goes off his line to intercept the corner from Jhow Benavidez (Honduras).
67' Anthony Lozano (Honduras) produces a ferocious strike from the edge of the box. His dangerous effort, directed towards the bottom left corner, is blocked by Emmanuel Daniel who pulls off a superb save to keep the ball out of the net. Honduras force a corner. Their opponent will face another attacking threat.
65' Aminu Umar (Nigeria) decided to speed play up with a short corner kick.
65' Umar Sadiq (Nigeria) attempts to release Imoh Ezekiel with a through ball, but his effort is thwarted by one of the defending players. The ball goes out for a corner. Nigeria can continue in their attacking effort.
63' A poorly executed mid-range free kick by Allans Josue Vargas Murillo (Honduras) as he fails to deliver a decent cross. The ball is out of the pitch and it's a goal kick for Nigeria.
61' Here is a change. Bryan Acosta is going off and Jorge Pinto gives the last tactical orders to Jhow Benavidez (Honduras).
61' Substitution. Marcelo Espinal (Honduras) receives a signal from the referee and is now allowed to enter the pitch as Allan Banegas walks off.
61' Sandro Ricci interrupts the game. It was a tactical foul from Muenfuh Sincere (Nigeria). Honduras are awarded a free kick.
61' John Obi Mikel (Nigeria) lifts the ball into the box from the corner, but one of the defending players gets there first to head it clear.
61' Aminu Umar (Nigeria) takes a shot from the edge of the box, but it's not a big threat for the goalkeeper as his effort is blocked by a defender. Nigeria have been awarded a corner kick.
59' Allan Banegas (Honduras) attempts to slip the ball through the defence, but is unable to find any of his teammates. The ball is behind the sideline and Nigeria will take a throw-in.
56' Goal Umar Sadiq (Nigeria)! Umar Sadiq (Nigeria) was put through by John Obi Mikel and he showed brilliant composure inside the box to fire into the bottom right corner. 0:3.
56' The ball is inside the net! Umar Sadiq (Nigeria) is the scorer of the goal.
55' The Nigeria players keep the ball and are exchanging a combination of passes. They are waiting for gaps in defence to open up.
53' Bryan Acosta (Honduras) creates a yard of space for himself and tries an effort from distance, but it is blocked.
49' Goal! Aminu Umar (Nigeria) fires the rebound into the roof of the net after the ball breaks to him in the box. The score is 0:2.
49' John Obi Mikel (Nigeria) takes a brilliant touch after he latched on to a pass on the edge of the box and strikes the ball to the bottom left corner. The goalkeeper dives low and saves his attempt.
48' Rommel Quioto (Honduras) swings a cross into the box, but is far too close to Emmanuel Daniel, who smothers the ball.
48' Imoh Ezekiel (Nigeria) produces a promising shot after his wonderful solo run, but Luis Aurelio Lopez Fernandez thwarted his effort, which went low to the middle of the goal, with a fabulous save, and the score doesn't change.
47' Alberth Elis (Honduras) couldn't beat the offside trap and the flag goes up. The assistant referee quickly made a difficult call as it was a really tight offside.
46' The whistle blows and Sandro Ricci starts the second half.
46' Jorge Pinto has decided to introduce fresh legs, with Anthony Lozano (Honduras) replacing Brayan Alexander Garcia.
45+4' Not the best game in the world so far but certainly not the worst either. Chances have been few. The hosts were superior in their performance through the first half. They were more active and precise. Pass and move, the home side display some possession football so far. The visitors display patience as they are waiting for the right moment to hit them on the break.
45+4' The first half of today's match has just finished.
45+3' Referee Sandro Ricci sees tripping by Imoh Ezekiel (Nigeria) and doesn't hesitate to blow the whistle.
45+1' An unsuccessful cross into the box by Rommel Quioto (Honduras). The opponent's defence clears the ball away to safety.
45+1' The flag is raised and Umar Sadiq (Nigeria) is offside again, not for the first time today.
45+2' 3 min. of stoppage-time to be played.
45+1' An unsuccessful cross into the box by Rommel Quioto (Honduras). The opponent's defence clears the ball away to safety.
45+1' The flag is raised and Umar Sadiq (Nigeria) is offside again, not for the first time today.
45' Nigeria are showcasing great team work. Exchanging some short passes and one-two passes, waiting to open the opposition's defence to hit them swiftly on the break.
43' Kevin Alvarez (Honduras) tries to take his opponent by surprise with a quick free kick.
43' Stanley Amuzie (Nigeria) makes an unfair challenge by holding his opponent to prevent him from getting the ball. That's a free kick to Honduras.
42' Umar Sadiq could have found himself in a great opportunity and one-on-one with the goalkeeper after John Obi Mikel (Nigeria) tried to send a defence-splitting pass, but one of the defenders made a clearence and thwarted the effort.
39' Shehu Abdullahi (Nigeria) aims a lovely cross into the penalty area. Nevertheless, the opponent's defence is alert and averts the danger with a brilliant clearance.
39' The Nigeria players are exchanging some short passes to open the opposition’s defence to hit them swiftly on the break.
38' Oscar Salas (Honduras) takes the free kick and immediately restarts play with a short pass.
36' An opponent rises to his feet after being downed by John Obi Mikel (Nigeria). Sandro Ricci saw his sliding tackle and calls for a foul. A free kick to Honduras.
34' It's in the back of the net! John Obi Mikel plays it into the box, and Umar Sadiq (Nigeria) gets on the end of a cross to put it into the bottom left corner. 0:1.
34' Emmanuel Daniel (Nigeria) has picked up a minor injury, but it looks like he will be able to continue.
33' Emmanuel Daniel (Nigeria) is clearly asking for some medical attention with his painful gestures. How serious is his injury is yet to be found out.
31' Umar Sadiq (Nigeria) finds himself beyond the last defender and the linesman raises his flag for offside.
29' He should have done it better. Umar Sadiq (Nigeria) is afforded space to connect with a Imoh Ezekiel cross, but his header from the centre of the box flies well over the crossbar.
28' Shehu Abdullahi (Nigeria) works the free kick short.
28' An offensive foul by Alberth Elis (Honduras) was seen by Sandro Ricci who didn't hesitate to blow the whistle. Nigeria have been awarded a free kick.
27' Imoh Ezekiel (Nigeria) receives a brilliant pass and wastes a big opportunity as his shot from inside the penalty area flies narrowly wide of the left post.
26' That was a poorly executed free kick from long distance. Luis Aurelio Lopez Fernandez (Honduras) was trying to produce a cross into the penalty area, but his effort sailed off the pitch.
25' Bryan Acosta (Honduras) takes the corner which is cleared by the opposition's defence.
23' Rommel Quioto (Honduras) gets into a good scoring opportunity. He creates himself some space and tries his luck from distance, aiming to the right post. His decent effort is denied by Emmanuel Daniel who makes a great save! The assistant referee makes a right call and Honduras will have a corner.
22' Mohammed Usman (Nigeria) is moving again okay after that injury scare.
21' Mohammed Usman (Nigeria) is writhing in pain and can now receive medical treatment after the referee signals for the physio to come onto the pitch.
20' Mohammed Usman (Nigeria) rises above the defence inside the box to struck a fine header, but the goalkeeper is lucky, as the ball flies just over the bar.
18' Sandro Ricci blows his whistle and it is Umar Sadiq (Nigeria) who is penalised for an offensive foul. Good decision by the referee.
17' This yellow card was deserved. The tackle by Azubuike Okechukwu (Nigeria) was quite harsh and Sandro Ricci didn't hesitate to show him a yellow card.
17' Azubuike Okechukwu (Nigeria) fizzes over a cross which doesn't cause any danger.
15' The keeper doesn't have to worry about this one. Umar Sadiq (Nigeria) sacrificed accuracy for power, and thus his attempt went well over the bar.
14' Luis Aurelio Lopez Fernandez (Honduras) seems to have picked up a minor injury, but it looks like he will be able to continue playing.
13' The game is interrupted now, Luis Aurelio Lopez Fernandez (Honduras) picks up a knock and the physio has to come.
13' Umar Sadiq (Nigeria) fails to beat the offside trap and the linesman puts his flag up.
12' Alberth Elis (Honduras) rises highest from the corner to head at goal, but his effort which is aimed to the right side of the goal is brilliantly denied by the goalkeeper.
12' Oscar Salas (Honduras) will take a corner kick
11' Rommel Quioto (Honduras) attempts to scoop the ball into the box through the defence, but one of the defending players produces a timely intervention. The ball is out-of-play. Honduras will have a chance to score from a corner.
10' Aminu Umar (Nigeria) darts into the penalty area to latch on to a pass, and he unleashes a low drive towards the middle of the net, but Luis Aurelio Lopez Fernandez is alert and denies his effort.10'
10' Rommel Quioto (Honduras) finds himself beyond the last defender, but the game is stopped by the referee after the linesman signals for offside.
8' Aminu Umar (Nigeria) perfectly receives a clever neat pass inside the box and his effort crashes against the left post! What an opportunity that was!
7' Alberth Elis (Honduras) connects with the corner but his looping header goes well over.
5' Mohammed Usman (Nigeria) flights in the cross, but the defender is alert and clears to safety. The ball is out-of-play, and the assistant referee points at the corner flag. Nigeria will take it.
4' Oscar Salas (Honduras) swings in a dangerous cross from the resulting corner kick, but none of his teammates managed to outjump the defence.
3' John Obi Mikel (Nigeria) takes the corner but it has been cleared.
3' Imoh Ezekiel (Nigeria) sends a cross into the box, but the opposition's defence quickly intercepts the ball. The referee signals for a corner kick, Nigeria are awarded.
17:00 The game is live now!
16:59 Sandro Ricci from Brazil is the one to supervise the game today.
16:58 Lineups
16:34 Honduras's highest finish at a Summer Games was a quarter-final berth and that feat was achieved in London 2012.
16:29 Honduras have qualified for four Men's Olympic Football Tournament, in Sydney 2000, Beijing 2008, London 2012 and now Rio de Janeiro 2016.
16:25 Both Honduras and Nigeria are yet to win a single medal at the Games in Brazil and many see the football event as a means of claiming a Medal in Brazil.
16:20 The Dream Team VI of Nigeria won Gold at Atlanta '96 and Silver at Beijing 2008. This time around, the are aiming to win the Bronze after a disappointing 0-2 Semi-final loss to German
16:10 Honduras Lineup - Brazil- Lopez, Quinto, Pereira, Paz, Palacios, Lozano, Garcia, Espinal, Elis, Acosta
16:07 Nigeria Lineup - Germany- Daniel, Amuzie, Sincere, Troost-Ekong, Abdullahi, Udo, Usman, Umar, Mikel, Ezekiel, Sadiq
Goals may not come aplenty for fans of both sides and neutrals alike for this game as the Olympic football tournament has shown all that the Honduran's like taking a defensive approach into their games barring the last 6-0 loss and the Nigerians are not known for taking most of their chances barring their 5-4 triumph over Japan. But with the opportunity of getting a medal from sports mega-event on the table for both teams this match will definitely go down to the wire.
This is the last match between Nigeria and Honduras. It was in Sidney 2002 Olympic Games:
With this in mind, the Nigerian defence flanks has to be guarded cautiously by the duo of Stanley Amuzie at the left-back and Sincere Seth more especially, who has shown signs of nervousness too often at the right-back, have been found wanting in that position time and again in attacking plays. But with Azubuike Okechukwu available, having served his mandatory one-match ban the defence will be steady for good measure.
More importantly for Nigeria, their defensive display has been a source of concern and the Honduras team may want to prey on this via Albert Elis and Anthony Lozano who are persistently in search of spaces to run into behind opposition defences.
The inspirational leadership of Captain John Mikel Obi will be pivotal in initiating attacks, dominating play in the heart of the field and staving off resistance in the final third from Honduras. They could be more worries for Jorge Pinto and his charges if attacking midfielder Oghenekaro Etebo passes a late fitness test to be ready for this encounter.
Coach of the Nigerian team, Samson Siasia will be expecting his players to put their disappointing display against Germany behind them. As such, Sadiq Umar may get another chance to redeem himself. Although, one suspects that Junior Ajayi may start ahead of him for this one. An improved performance will also be expected from Imoh Ezekiel on the right channel in order to stretch the Honduran defence and open up spaces for the Nigerian attackers.
One can therefore expect them to shore up their backline better and make fewer mistakes, as their sloppy play gave them away to Brazil. In the midfield, the confident poise of Brojan Acosta will be vital. Acosta is not one for the goals but his ability to read a game and control it coupled with his excellent tackles may pose problems for Nigeria in the midfield.
Nigeria and Honduras seek some final comfort at the Olympics and it doesn't get any easy for both teams. The Nigerian U-23 team might have fared better than their opponents in comparison, nonetheless, the Los Catrachos will offer a different challenge from a tactical perspective as they will be looking to respond positively to their humiliating loss to Brazil.
For Honduras, their journey in Rio 2016 has been quite eventful for a nation not reckoned with in football tournaments. They started energetically with a 3-2 victory against African representatives, Algeria. Had a 1-2 loss to Portugal, a one-all draw with Argentina. Securing passage to the knockout stage, they played South Korea and won narrowly 1-0, before they were drubbed by Neymar Junior and company 6-0 in the semifinals.
Both teams are not unfamiliar opponents, having played against each each at the Suwon Invitational Tournament in South-Korea, a game which Nigeria won 3-1. Plotting the Nigerian team's progress- they kicked-off promisingly with a thrilling 5-4 defeat of Japan, a 1-0 triumph over Sweden and a 2-0 loss to Colombia. This propelled them to the quarter-finals where they played against Denmark and won convincingly 2-0 until the disappointing loss to Germany.
Loosing semi-finalists of the Men's Olympic football tournament, Nigeria and Honduras will battle will battle for pride and a bronze medal when both teams trade tackles at the Estadio Governador Magalhaes Pinto in Bell Horizonte.
Good evening! My name is Oderinde Olufemi, and welcome to VAVEL's live coverage of the Men's Football Bronze Medal match at Rio 2016 as Honduras face Nigeria. After poor preparation and flight delay, can the Dream Team VI banish ghosts of the past to claim a medal in Brazil or will Honduras write their name in the history books and claim a first football medal at the Olympic Games?