Nigeria vs. Tahiti Final Score: Super Eagles Soar Past Team Fenua in Confederations Cup

May 31, 2013; Houston, TX, USA; Nigeria poses for a team portrait against Mexico during the first half at Reliant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Campbell-USA TODAY Sports

Nigeria and Tahiti entered Monday’s match in the Confederations Cup knowing that they would need a big performance in their opening game to keep pace with Spain in Group B to keep alive potential hopes of advancing. While the loser of the opening match would not be eliminated, they would face a real uphill battle to get by Spain and Uruguay to advance past the group stages.

Tahiti was the darling of the tournament with everyone looking to see how they would perform in their first major appearance in a big time tournament, but they stumbled early and Nigeria was to easily cruise to victory. Within the first thirty minutes of the game, the Super Eagles already had a 3-0 lead thanks to the opening goal by Elderson and two goals shortly after by  Nnamdi Oduamadi.

Tahiti was able to have one shining moment in the 54th minute when Jonathan Tehau hit a beautiful header in to the back of the net. Team Fenua may have still been down, but the goal was an achievement that they took much pride in.

Unfortunately for the Tahitians, Nigeria was able to come right back and score another goal that allowed them to extend their lead back to three goals. Nigeria capped off the game with another goal from Oduamadi, which completed his hat trick on the afternoon, and finally a second goal from Elderson.

The final score of the game was 6-1.

Tahiti put together a spirited effort, but they were simply outmatched and the stage seemed to big. At least they were able to score a moral victory with their one gal, which was all they could ask for coming in to the tournament.

For Nigeria, they looked like they were playing as a group of individuals rather than a complete team. They began to click at the end of the game, but they will need a much more complete effort in their next to games. When they face off against teams like Spain and Uruguay, their current strategy just won’t cut it.

Nigeria’s next match up will be against Uruguay on Thursday, while Team Fenua faces their toughest test of the tournament against Spain in what could turn in to an ugly match.