Full time: Iran 0 Nigeria 0. Jeers as the whistle goes. They're coming from the Nigerian fans and are directed towards Iran, what with their negative tactics and all, but Nigeria have only themselves to blame. They never really went for it despite being up against a side who just wanted to defend.
90 min: Two minutes of stoppage time. Even the ref wants this over with.
89 min: Important interception from Pooladi as Musa digs out a cross on the left which was heading for Ameobi at the back post. From Mikel's corner Ameobi again barrels a header towards the goal but again Pooladi rises to head clear.
88 min: Another change for Iran as Heydari comes of f and Masoud Shojaei comes on. I’m not sure why these teams seem so happy with the draw. This is by far their most winnable game.
The entire 83 minutes so far in microcosm (GETTY)
82 min: Mikel and Odemwingie combine before the Stoke man crashes a volley wide of the post, but the whistle goes for a handball. He actually controlled it with his shoulder, but the shot went wide anyway so it doesn't make much difference.
80 min: If Iran have adopted a Rumble in the Jungle style rope-a-dope approach to this game now is the time when they're stepping off the ropes and throwing a few punches. It may also be the moment they find out their punches aren't packing much power. Hajsafi scapers across field and rolls the ball to Teymourian but his shot is poor.
77 min: That's Dejagah's last involvement. He's replaced by Ali Reza Jahanbakhsh.
76 min: Here come Iran and it's a perfect cross from the left from Pooladi but Dajegah in the centre times his jump all wrong and gets under the ball and his header goes high in the air and is claimed by Enyeama.
75 min: A shot on goal! But it's not a very good one. Ozazi sidefoots from 25 yards and runs along the ground and safely into Haghighi's gloves, which are covering his hands in case you thought they had taken on a life of their own.
74 min: Yellow card for former Bolton midfielder Teymourian for bundling over Odemwingie.
73 min: Come on either of these teams. Your World Cup needs you. Give us a goal. Or a shot. Or even just an accurate pass.
70 min: Chance for Nigeria as Ameobi glances a header wide after a cross from the left. He should test the keeper from there but the whistle had already gone for a foul.
69 min: Nigeria make their final change as Peter Odemwingie replaces Azeez.
68 min: Corner to Nigeria with Musa takes. It's a better effort than either of the previous two from that side but the Iranian defence is a well oiled machine and they clear the danger.
66 min: Hajsafi's is cleared but he gets a second stab at it. he pulls the ball back towards Ghoochannejhad but Nekounam gets in the way and his touch makes it harder for the striker and his shot on the turn goes high over the crossbar.
64 min: In a collective moment of madness Iran get five (FIVE!) men forward but Montazeri's cross his the first defender and goes behind for a corner. Montazeri takes it himself but it's way too deep. Ehsan Hajsafi keeps it alive on the left and wins a free kick.
62 min: Without the 'who has the best food' game to distract them the crowd in Curita are getting restless, jeering Iran's everyone behind the ball approach. What's the Iranian for 'parking the bus?'
Ashkan Dejagah takes flight (GETTY)
58 min: Solid goalkeeping from Vincent Enyeama who comes and claims a Heydari cross that Dejegah didn't really seem interested in challenging for. In more positive news the Iran kit is holding up well. It seems pretty much the same size it was at kick off. Even the socks.
53 min: Ameobi's arrival has given a bit of spark to Nigeria's play. Ramon Azeez troies to pick out the former Newcastle man but Sadeghi stretches and deflects the ball behind for a corner. Azeez's delivery is even worse than Moses's a few minutes ago.
51 min: Nigeria make another change as the ineffectual Vistor Moses is hauled off and Shola Ameobi is on.
49 min: Decent effort from Reza Ghoochannejhad,cutting inside onto his favoured left foot but his shot sails harmlessly wide of Vincent Enyeama's right hand post.
47 min: Corner to Nigeria but the delivery for Moses is terrible. Moses gets a second chance to cross and this time it’s better but there’s nobody attacking it though Alireza Haghighi make shard work of punching it clear.
46 min: Emmanuel Emenike is straight into the thick of the action going on a bustling run but the Iran defence never allow him enough space to have a shot on goal and eventually he runs out of space and ideas and collapses to the ground in a heap.
Peeep!! Nigeria get the second half started. No changes on either side at the break.
The teams are back out onto the pitch and both sets of players go into a huddle. Seperately, of course. A combined huddle would be almost pointless.
A selection of the half time food-related emails department. I would publish them all but they're making me hungry.
"I shop daily at an Iranian supermarket, and frankly nothing beats their stewed lamb dish," says Thomas Stringer. "If only their cooking talent was somehow transferable to ball possession."
"Nigeria," says Nick Healy. "My mate Izzy cooks a mean plantain with spicy jerk chicken. Can't beat Nigerian."
"The best meals are made in Nigeria and it's porridge yam and beans," claims Onyekachi Onyia.
"Best Iranian dish: Qorme sabzi & chicken kebab," writes Rmatinp.
Half time: Iran 0 Nigeria 0. The whistle goes and the happiest people will be Argentina and Bosnia who will have watched this and thought 'what else is on?'
45 min: Two minutes of stoppage time.
44 min: Mikel pumps the ball long and Musa has come in off the flank. He can't bring it down with his chest but appeals for a penalty for a penalty for handball as the ball strikes Sadeghi but it's not going to happen. Nor whould it have.
44 min: I think the World Cup's impressive goals per game ratio is going to take a hit here.
"Best food. Of course, it's Iran," says Zhila.
But which food Zhila? Which food?
40 min: Emmanuel Emenike tries to force the issue - he picks up a fairly aimless long ball, uses his strength to hold of the defender but drags his shot wide from outside the area.
39 min: In the absence of any real action it seems we're going to look at endless replays of that Vincent Enyeama save.
"Nigeria has got to have the best food!", says Craig Nicholson. "My wife is half Nigerian and her mum makes the best grub ever - especially Jolof Rice!"
You've got to keep the mother-in-law happy. Well done Craig.
33 min: Best chance of the game and it's come for Iran! Teymourian's sliding tackle on the right starts the move. Ghoochannejhad picks up the loose ball and wins a corner. It's an outswinger and it's Ghoochannejhad who rises and glances a header goalwards and it takes a great save from Vincent Enyeama to keep the game goalless.
30 min: Great effort from Musa. It's a free kick about 35 yards out on the left., Everyone is expecting a cross but Musa has been watching his Gary Mcallister DVD and tries to sneak the ball in at the near post but Haghighi scampers across and pushes the ball wide.
29 min: Godfrey Oboabona hasn't been able to run off that injury and former Everton defender Joseph Yobo is on in his place.
28 min: If this game is a draw they should decide it on who has the best food. Who does have the best food? My money is on Iran.
25 min: This has really gone off the boil. Iran have eight men behind the ball and Nigeria can’t find a way through. Their frustration shows when first Musa, and then Onazi try to pick out fairly impossible passes.
23 min: While Nigeria remain down to 10-men Iran make a rare foray forward as Ghoochannejhad slides a pass through to Dejagah who goes down and wants a penalty but it is (correctly) not given. Oboabona is fit enough to come back into the action.
19 min: There’s another Nigerian injury as Oboabona appears to jar his knee as he lands after winning a header. It doesn’t look great for the centre back. He’s placed inside one of those orange carts which are a bit like the things you put your keys and coins in at the airport and is taken to the side of the pitch for further examination.
17 min: It's all gone a bit flat over the past few minutes, which will be of some relief to Iran after the early Nigerian pressure.
13 min: More wing wizardry from Victor Moses who is basically the player of the tournament so far. Unfortunately he forgets to cross before the ball has run out of play. He can't think of everything, I suppose.
10 min: Onazi picked up a knock as he attempted that shot and goes off for some treatment. But fear not, people, he's OK and comes charging back on like he means business.
Musa tries to convert Emenike's cross (GETTY)
8 min: Two big chances for Nigeria as Emenike shrugs off Hosseini on the left and plays a beautiful ball across goal which Iran's left back Pooladi does well to clear. Sadeghi then makes a mess of his clearance and Onazi strolls into the box but scuffs his shot wide.
6 min: Emmanuel Emenike wins a corner on the left and Alireza Haghighi comes and flaps at the cross. Mikel collides into him as he tried to collect and te whistle goes which saves the Iran goalkeeper as Musa knocks the ball into the unguarded net.
4 min: Iran look very comfortable on the ball in the opening stages. They are sitting very deep but they're looking to spring forward with some lighning quick passes whenever they can.
2 min: First shot on goal and it's come as Victor Moses weaves his way scross the box and fires a low shoot which is easily saved by Alireza Haghighi. Moses has been saving himself for this World Cup. I can tell.
2 min: Iran defending deep in the early stages while Kevin Kilbane has already refereed to them as Algeria.
Peeep! The Ecuadorian referee gets things underway and Iran immediately forego possession with a long ball forward to Ghoochannejhad.
Anthem watch. Iran are up first. It starts off like the closing credits music to some god-awful film like the English Patient but then cranks into gear and by the end of it I'm practically in tears. Nigeria's is a bit like the France's but not as good. Early advantage to the Iranians.
The pre-match flim flam is over. The teams are on the pitch. Here come the anthems via the miracle of a working PA system.
An Iran fan in his nation's traditional dress (ACTION IMAGES)
19.35 Will this be the first draw of this whirlwind World Cup? Iran kept 10 clean sheets during their qualifying campaign. In the BBC studio Rio Ferdinand and Phil Neville can't speak highly enough of Carlos Queiroz who they worked with at Manchest4er united. Apparently he showed his toughness by referring to them from by day one as 'Ferdinand', 'Giggs' or 'Neville' rather that the traditional 'Giggsy', 'nevillsy' or 'Ferdinandsy'.
Good evening all. Welcome to live coverage of the Group F clash between Iran and Nigeria from Curitiba.
Bad vibes have been in the air for both these sides in the build up to this World Cup. Iran's preparations have been plagued with all manner of problems. Their incredible shrinking kit has understandably gained many headlines (has a kit manufacturer ever before had to issue a statement titled 'A Pity' to deny allegations of suplying substandard equipment?) but coach Carlos Queiroz has had more to worry about than some disintegrating socks, thouygh the disintegrating socks remain an ongoing concern.
UN sanctions on Iran mean they have only played five friendly matches in the 12 months since qualification was assured, and those were against footballing superpowers such as Guinea, Mauritania and Mozambique. Meanwhile just 11 players reported for a pre-tournament training camp.
Despite the almost farcical nature of their preparation, there are hopes that this could be the year that Iran finally make it to the knockout stages, having failed to get out of their group in Argentina in 1978, France in 1998 and Germany in 2006. Where this optimism comes from, who knows, but if they had boots and socks that actually fit they would probably think they could win it.
Nigeria failed to win any of their four warm up matches with the main thing of note being, ahem, some questionable goalkeeping but with emerging talent such as Lazio's Ogenyi Onazi there will be hope that they can win tonight and qualify from this group alongside Argentina.
Here are tonight's teams:
Iran: 12-Alireza Haghighi; 15-Pejman Montazeri, 4-Jalal Hosseini, 5-Amir Sadeghi, 23-Mehrdad Pooladi; 3-Ehsan Hajsafi, 6-Javad Nekounam, 14-Andranik Teymourian, 21-Ashkan Dejagah; 16-Reza Ghoochannejhad, 2-Khosro Heydari
Nigeria: 1-Vincent Enyeama; 5-Efe Ambrose, 14-Godfrey Oboabona, 22-Kenneth Omerou, 13-Juwon Oshaniwa; 10-John Obi Mikel, 17-Ogenyi Onazi, 15-Ramon Azeez, 11-Victor Moses; 7-Ahmed Musa, 9-Emmanuel Emenike
Referee: Carlos Vera (Ecuador)
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