Fresh Perspectives (II)
Was it true? Was it not? Whatever it is, it offered a fresh perspective on how our National Teams must approach EVERY international match or championship henceforth. In truth, football teams do approach games or tournaments based on perceived pedigree, ability and capacity of themselves vis-a-vis the opposition. But over time, teams have learnt not […]
Was it true? Was it not? Whatever it is, it offered a fresh perspective on how our National Teams must approach EVERY international match or championship henceforth.
In truth, football teams do approach games or tournaments based on perceived pedigree, ability and capacity of themselves vis-a-vis the opposition. But over time, teams have learnt not to under-rate the opposition while being careful not to be over-confident before the start of a game.
Even after the referee’s first blast of the whistle, it is usually dangerous to lower your guard or to assume too much during play, until the referee’s final whistle.
On several occasions, Nigeria has been both beneficiary and victim to the unpredictability of the football game until the referee’s final blast of the whistle. As beneficiary, the quarter-final match of the FIFA World Youth Championship (now FIFA U-20 World Cup) between the Flying Eagles and their Soviet Union counterparts in Dammam, Saudi Arabia in 1989 comes to mind. The Flying Eagles were 0-4 down, and apparently out, with only 15 minutes left in that game that turned out to be historic.
A free-kick by Oladimeji Lawal started it, and then Christopher Ohenhen scored from another free-kick, and Sam Elijah scored the third goal, before Nduka Ugbade scored the memorable equalizer, and the match went into extra time. No goals, and Nigerian went on to win on penalties.
In 1996, Brazil’s U-23 team had gone 3-1 ahead of our dear Dream Team I (captained by Nwankwo Kanu) and assumed they were already in the final. Check pedigree and you would not find anywhere that Nigeria had beaten Brazil in a FIFA match previously, so that Brazilians could afford their pomposity. At the same tournament, the Brazilians had beaten the Dream Team 1-0, in a group phase match. With scoreline at 3-1, the Brazilian Coach even pulled out some of his best players to “rest their legs ahead of the final match”.
There was to be no final match for them, for Victor Ikpeba and Kanu contrived goals that pulled Nigeria level and Kanu scored a ‘golden goal’ that eliminated the powerful South Americans. In the final match, Argentina went in front after few minutes but Celestine Babayaro equalized. Argentina again pulled in front at the beginning of the second half and thought it was going to be their day until Daniel Amokachi and Emmanuel Amuneke thought otherwise, and we won the Olympic gold – first for Africa.
Two years ago, in Nairobi, the Harambee Stars got a the first goal of a match that Nigeria needed to qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup final. Nigeria would equalize through Obafemi Martins but from nowhere, the Kenyans rattled the Super Eagles with a second goal, and many thought it was going to be another disappointment. But Nigeria was able to contrive two goals before the end and we qualified for the FIFA World Cup finals.
As victim, and before Saturday, October 8 (30 seconds to eternity, someone told me), Nigerian ball fans can recall how, on October 8, 2005, the Super Eagles lashed Zimbabwe 5-1 at the National Stadium, Abuja thinking they had qualified for the FIFA World Cup Germany 2006. They had done their bit, and Rwanda was supposed to hold Angola in Kigali.
The Rwandans were doing their bit very well until only minutes to the end, when Angola’s Fabrice Akwa popped up at the right place to nod the ball into the net and send Angola’s Palancas Negras to Germany, leaving the Super Eagles devastated at the final whistle in Abuja.
In 1984, Mudashiru Babatunde Lawal scored a fine goal to open the account of the African Cup of Nations final match between Nigeria and Cameroon in Abidjan. Nigerians were nursing hope of a second Nations Cup triumph but the more experienced Indomitable Lions roared back powerfully in the second half to win the match.
Heartbreak sessions continued with the defeat of the Super Eagles by Tunisia’s Carthage Eagles in the semi final of the 2004 African Cup of Nations. The Super Eagles led that match 1-0 from a penalty kick converted by Austin Okocha, but the hosts equalized through another penalty kick late in the game and went on to win on penalties.
One question that comes to mind is: Why did the Super Eagles, as admitted by Coach Siasia, under-rate the Syli Nationale at the National Stadium, Abuja on Saturday, October 8?
There was really no reason for the over-confidence. Yes, we are a leading light of the game in Africa. Yes, we believe we have a stronger team on pedigree and on paper. Yes, we have a population driven by passion for the beautiful game. Yes, we are rated above Guinea in the FIFA Coca-Cola ranking.
Yet, none of these should have been reason for conceit. At the top of the group B table was Guinea, comfortable on 13 points and sure to qualify even if they had lost to the Super Eagles. Matches between Nigeria and Guinea have always been close-fought, and Guinea won the corresponding fixture 1-0 in Conakry a year earlier.
The admission by Coach Siasia has also better informed the Nigeria Football Federation on the general preparation of our teams for international matches and tournaments. It is said repeatedly that there are no more small teams/minnows in international football, but the so-called big teams continue to make the same mistake of thinking they can always ride rough-shod over the so-called small teams when the chips are down.
The chips have now worked a wicked one for the ‘mighty teams’ of the African continent and Nigeria, South Africa, Cameroon, Egypt and Algeria, sadly, will not be at the 2012 African Cup of Nations.
Someone asked me during the week whether the Nigeria Football Federation would accept an invitation from the South African Football Association for a four-nation (or is it eight-nation) tournament that would clash with the African Cup of Nations in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea. Well, we will cross that bridge when we get there.
Falcons and the Challenge…
I want to say here that I firmly believe in the ability of the Super Falcons to come out unscathed from today’s London 2012 Olympics qualifying match against their Cameroonian counterparts in Yaounde.
The players have been in camp for several weeks and they are not new to one another. Only few have recently broken into the team. The majority have been together at a number of FIFA World Cup competitions and African Women Championships.
The players have expressed their readiness to do everything to guarantee victory – for it is victory we need and NOT a draw, which would be enough to send the Falcons to London. The approach would be to forget there had even been a first leg and go all out for a win at the Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium.
Last week, I appealed passionately to Enyimba FC and Sunshine Stars to approach their continental matches with the mentality of the yam-pounder, but both teams failed to heed the advice and fell. Sunshine Stars have a second chance to redeem matters when they go to Tunis next weekend, but it is a mountain to climb at the Stade El Menzah with temperature at freezing degree at kick-off.
Enyimba FC would be the first to admit that they did not approach the match with the right attitude, and that pains. They were eliminated when they had a bright opportunity to proceed to the final and perhaps lift the trophy, to become one of clubs to have won the trophy on three occasions, become the first Nigerian club to take part in the FIFA Club World Cup and also seal continental football next season.
All these, the players threw away as a result of not appreciating the importance of the 90 minutes.
Today, the Super Falcons MUST appreciate the importance of the 90 minutes inside the Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium and deliver for the good of Nigeria. Ameen.
NEXT WEEK: Referees and Refereeing