Nigeria and Iran have failed to break the deadlock in a goalless first half in Curitiba.

The African champions started brightly, with Victor Moses causing problems early on before testing Alireza Haghighi with a drilled effort from just outside the box.

Ogenyi Onazi was inches away from opening the scoring for Nigeria, but he could only send a shot just wide after some unconvincing goalkeeping from Haghighi inside the box.

Nigeria dominated possession for most of the first half, and it was only Iran's determination to keep men behind the ball which made life difficult for the attacking players on the pitch.

Iran came close to taking the lead against the run of play when Reza Ghoochannejhad lost his marker inside the box, but Vincent Enyeama reacted impressively to keep his header out.

There were clear signs that Carlos Queiroz's side were improving as Nigeria struggled to break down a stubborn defence in a largely uneventful first half.