The Super Eagles put up a dismal
performance in the first half of the Mandela challenge which ended goalless,
but improved after the break thanks to the introduction of Victor Moses and
Ahmed Musa who brought fresh impetus to the game.
According to Keshi, his decision
to replace his forward line at the start of the second half after starting
without Moses and Musa was to give other players the chance, and not build the
team around a particular player.
South African Coach Gordon Igesund
in his post match remarks after the game admitted losing to a better team while
trying to defend his side’s timid approach to the game dismissing insinuations
that the Eagles were bullish and physical in their approach to the game.
He was simply shy of saying that
the South Africans still have a long way to go despite having Africa’s best
league and a team wholly of players in the ABSA Premiership.
Keshi’s troops ruined the Nelson
Mandela day for the host as they trashed the Bafana Bafana side 2-0 from Uche
Nwafor who was making only his third appearance for the senior national team
last week.
His first goal was an audacious
back heel and the other was a simple tap in after clever work with Victor Moses
and Ahmed Musa.
Uche Nwofor at the Moses Mabhida
Stadium in Durban came in as substitute after Super Eagles returnee, Shola
Ameobi, failed to make any meaningful impact in the first half.
The Dutch based striker ensured
that Gordon Igesund’s men looked average for most parts of the game against the
African Champions who fielded just a handful of players that featured at the
continental showpiece they won in South Africa earlier in the year.
That victory also ensured that
South Africa had lost its fourth straight year of hosting and losing the Nelson
Mandela challenge. The team from West Africa started out stronger with John Ogu
and Nnamdi Oduamadi excelling especially after capitalizing on some lax
defending by Thabo Nthethe after 10 minutes as the Bloemfontein Celtic defender
failed to clear a Ogenyi Onazi long ball.
Obinna Nsofor was a shadow of
himself as his shot bounced awkwardly in front of the home goalkeeper, who had
to block with his body.
The victory in South Africa
further positions Keshi’s team on course and explore new options ahead of the
crunch Malawi last group fixture for the 2014 World Cup which has charted a
course of mind games between the Nigeria Football Federation and their Malawi
counterparts over security concerns.
It is heartening to note that Eagles
Coach, Stephen Keshi after the South Africa defeat stated that the introduction
and success of the new kid on the block Uche Nwofor had ensured that the team
would not be built around any individual as he re-enforced his attack and
perhaps put the nail in the final appearance of embattled Super Eagles striker
Osaze Odemwingie in the national team as long as Keshi is in charge.
The exploits of Uche Nwofor should
put more pressure on Emmanuel Emenike in the light that he has been absent from
the national team since January when the nations cup was won and search for
quality strikers for the team may be yielding fruits especially after our
dismal outing at the Confederations Cup and dearth of quality strikers during
the world cup qualifiers against Namibia and Kenya.
For Obinna Nsofor, he has no
business in the national team anymore and his slot last week was actually a
waste which should have been used to expose new players especially the strike
force invited from the home league.
Victor Moses once again showed why
he is the darling of Nigerian football fans with his dazzling skills, passes
and deft combinations with Ahmed Musa.
He brought back flair and
excitement to the team and acquitted himself excellently on the field while
John Ogu was simply outstanding in the midfield.
For goalkeeper Austin Ejide, I
must give him thumbs up for keeping a clean slate but I keep insisting that
there is so much difference between Austin Ejide and Vincent Enyeama between
the sticks as the Enyeama France based goalkeeper has a greater experience in
the defence line and has always remained calmed dishing out instructions to his
defenders under pressure.
That is why he remains the obvious
choice as Nigeria’s safest hands and the opportunity for Ejide to garner more
exposure in the Mandela Challenge is a welcome development.
Though the South African side is
also in a re-building process, the victory should not be diminished as we
continue to impress on other countries on the continent of our dominance to
quality for the world cup and win the next nations cup.
I am further impressed that the
victory in South Africa last week has been pushed aside as we look forward to
the bigger clash in Calabar, Cross River State on September 7.
As we await the call up of players
to camp for the Malawi encounter, we must ensure that only our best players
feature in that match and we must also look at the quality of players and
display at the Nelson Mandela Challenge while we await the return of the big
boys whose experience and depth of versatility remains vital to the success of
the team including Mikel Obi, Emmanuel Emenike and Vincent Enyeama.
Rebuilding the national team for Keshi has been astormy
process for him as Nigerians continue to watch him closely for instances and
wrong calls, but we must commend him for the fresh air of opportunities and
steadfast faith in the players he has featured especially the home based lads
who have excelled.
The challenge of raising a national
team remains a daunting task and each victory comes with a greater price of
more expectations as we enter the crucial stages which I believe should stop
all forms of experimentations.
The Nelson Mandela Challenge should
serve as the final bus stop for Keshi’s experimental programme on the national
team as we begin to build a strong team early in preparation for our
qualification for the World Cup in Brazil next year.
For now, we must remain focused beyond the Mandela triumph
and finalize all necessary challenges as we set our eyes firm to dim the Flames
of Malawi next weekend. We can be sure of another victory. I can smell it. Who
dares these Eagles?
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