‘’Are these the Super Eagles who are going to do it again? Are these the team we are hoping to win the AFCON? This team cannot be trusted. They don’t have what it takes to withstand strong teams in the final. This performance is underwhelming not deserving of our national team’’.
These were the words of ex-international and FA chairman of Anambra Football Association, Chikeluo Ilonyosi as he stormed out of the Felix Houphouet-Boigny stadium, after a very disappointing game against hapless Wild Dogs of Guinea Bissau in their concluding match of the Group games of the ongoing Afcon in Cote d’Ivoire, Abidjan.
Chikelue’s outburst captured the disappointment of the night where the Super Eagles were miserably poor in play, wasteful in attack and generally lethargic. The team were overcome by lassitude and allowed the Guineans to toss them around the pitch. The Super Eagles were so poor that their opponents had to score for them, though under pressure from African Footballer of the year, Victor Osimhen. Opa Sangante, a defender shot to his net and that was the only significant thing that handed the Eagles all three points to finish second behind Equatorial Guinea that humiliated hosts Cote d’Ivoire 4-0 at the Alhassan Quattarra Stadium. Thank God that Sangante is not from Colombia. Remember Escobar? Escobar was murdered on July 2, 1994 in the aftermath of the 1994 FIFA World Cup for having scored an own goal which contributed to the team’s elimination from the tournament.
Since the inception of the AFCON hostilities in Abidjan, the Nigerian flagbearers have not shown character or capacity as a team that’s determined to win the trophy. As it is often said, our intention creates our reality. No. Instead, what we have seen has been heartaches from a fumbling team without vim and vitality.
The Eagles gave us an inkling of what to expect in the Nations Cup with their very first outing against Equatorial Guinea. The hearts of many Nigerians were in their mouths. It was a frightening opening against an Equatorial team that everybody expected Eagles to take to dinner. It ended a miserable 1-1 apiece. We could not read the writing on the wall. Instead, our expectations soared. We forgot that when you have expectations, you are setting yourself up for disappointment.
Their performance against hosts Ivory Coast disapproved that and instead heightened our expectations that on a good day that our soccer warriors were going to take away the pains of our economic problems and replace it with joy that comes from winning. Satisfaction lies in the effort, not in the attainment as full effort is full victory. The temptation to take the easy road is always there. We roared after the 1-0 victory that the Eagles were back to reckoning.
Beating the hosts mean much more than grabbing three points. History showed that each time we overcome hosts, it paves a direct entry to either play in the final or win the trophy. Hope rising. ‘’The problem is not the players, it is squarely on the coach. He cannot give what he does not have. His mind is fixated on certain players. He does not understand that African football is different. We needed home-based players for this rugged situation. Check all the times Nigeria excelled and won the Nations Cup, there were good presence of home-based players in the team”’, Ilonyosi lamented, insisting that Nigeria must do away with Peseiro and recruit a coach who would live in the country, get home-based players to be part of the national team.
The expression of contempt for the play of the Super Eagles was captured by another Nigerian based in Ivory Coast who said today’s victory is a pyrrhic victory. ‘’We have lost so much respect in winning. We were boastful that the Eagles would mess up every team in this competition because of their pedigree in their different clubs. Alas! What we see here is shameful. We won but victory is like a loss here’’, Emeka Nwaogu, who is a businessman in Abidjan mourned. Ahmed Dahiru agreed less. ‘’The only good thing is the three points. Their style of play, fighting spirit, commitment and cohesion are nothing to talk about’’. Adekunle Salami, Deputy Editor of The New Telegraph said the Eagles got a result from Guinea Bissau and not a win.
Presently for Nigerians here in Ivory Coast, their spirits are wobbly and their mind confused. The hurt has become too great. As for the Super Eagles, they have to be resilient and borrow from the famous quote which says, ‘’ If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.”
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