CURITIBA, Brazil -- Nigeria and Iran delivered the first draw of the World Cup on Monday as they ground out a scrappy 0-0 stalemate in their opening match in Group F. The draw at the Arena da Baixada in the southern Brazilian city of Curitiba followed 12 mostly high scoring and attacking games. After a first half in which Nigeria failed to capitalize on its dominance, chances were few and far between in the second. In the early passages of play, Nigeria had shown menace, with much of its attacking thrust coming down the left with Emmanuel Emenike and Victor Moses combining to cause problems for the defensively-minded Iran side. Nigeria came closest to scoring in the seventh minute when an Ahmed Musa goal was disallowed after John Obi Mikel was adjudged to have fouled Iran goalkeeper Alireza Haghighi at a corner. Iran grew more confident as the game progressed and came close to scoring in the 34th when a Reza Ghoochannejhad header required a sharp save from Nigeria goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama. In the second half, both sides were guilty of sloppy passages of play, to the growing annoyance of the mainly Brazilian crowd. Players from both sides snatched at chances, and neither goalkeeper was troubled despite some frantic late pressure in the final minutes. "They had 11 people behind the ball, which made it hard for us to create chances," Mikel said. "Its frustrating because they sat back." Nigeria coach Stephen Keshi said his team became anxious when it failed to score during a dominant opening 25 minutes. But he added: "Respect to Iran, they had their game plan to sit back and defend and they did well." Keshi, who played for Nigeria at the 1994 World Cup, is already anticipating a backlash after the draw. "Win or lose Im criticized," said Keshi, whose side won last years Africa Cup of Nations. "A draw now, Ill be criticized. Its part of the game. In my country, its win at all costs and sometimes it doesnt go that way." The best chance either side has to progress in the tournament is to beat debutant Bosnia-Herzegovina, as Argentina is the firm favourite to top the group. Lionel Messi scored one of the tournaments best goals in Argentinas 2-1 victory over the Bosnians on Sunday. Iran coach Carlos Queiroz said the result was "fair" and that his players deserved "sympathy and respect" for performing on the biggest stage despite the impact of economic sanctions on the country -- which made it difficult to arrange friendlies. "Were not here to perform the role of the happy loser," Queiroz said. "The fans need to know the conditions we have endured for three years to get here." Queiroz wouldnt talk about the teams next game against Argentina. "Now Im so tired just let me enjoy this point we collected from Nigeria," he said. The draw means the winless World Cup runs of both teams continues, dating back to France 1998. For Iran, though, this was the first time it had not conceded a goal at the World Cup finals. Authentic Carl Soderberg Jersey .com) - Driphus Jackson had three touchdown passes, including two in a 19-second span in the opening quarter, to guide Rice to a 30-6 rout of Fresno State at the Hawaii Bowl. Authentic Mikko Rantanen Jersey . When the Dallas Mavericks needed to stop a Golden State rally in the fourth quarter, they looked for defensive help from the rookie point guard playing in just his sixth game. -- The Bobcats announced theyve signed centre Justin Hamilton to a 10-day contract. Authentic Patrick Roy Jersey . Last year, Matt Kuchar closed with a 4-under 68 to beat Kevin Chappell by two strokes for his second win of the 2013 season and sixth of his career. Authentic Rob Ramage Jersey . LaQuinton Ross scored 17 of his 20 points in the first half, hitting his first four 3-pointers, to send No.LEVIS, Que. - The Champions Tour event that was played in Montreal the past four years will be moving to the Quebec City area next summer. Promoter Synchro Sports announced Friday the US$1.6-million tournament will be held Sept. 5-7 at the La Tempete Golf Club. It is the first PGA Tour-sanctioned event in the area since Billy Casper won the 1956 Labatt Opeen.dddddddddddd The Quebec Remparts junior hockey team will join Synchro Sports as marketing partners for the event, which will be called the Quebec City Championship. The event was called The Montreal Championship the last four years and was won by Larry Mize in 2010, John Cook in 2011, Mark Calcavecchia in 2012 and Esteban Toledo in 2013. cheap falcons jerseys cheap ravens jerseys cheap bills jerseys cheap bears jerseys cheap bengals jerseys cheap cowboys jerseys cheap lions jerseys cheap texans jerseys cheap colts jerseys cheap jaguars jerseys cheap chiefs jerseys cheap rams jerseys cheap dolphins jerseys cheap vikings jerseys cheap saints jerseys cheap giants jerseys cheap jets jerseys cheap eagles jerseys cheap steelers jerseys cheap 49ers jerseys ' ' '