When Nigeria kicked off their hunt for a fourth continental trophy, it was on a shaky note with an unexpected 1-1 draw with Equatorial Guinea on January 14.
Without a doubt, the result left a bitter taste in the mouths of some Nigerians who had expected an outright win from the three-time champions. However, most Nigerians said they saw the lackluster performance of the Eagles coming.
However, after such much basking from aggrieved Nigerian football fans, the main actors, in this case, the players went into an emergency mode led by captain Ahmed Musa who was said to have convened a meeting in his hotel room in a bid to inspire his teammates. It will be recalled Musa and Kenneth Omeruo are the ‘oldest’ members of the team and were part of the 2013 set that won the last AFCON trophy.
And after the soul searching meeting by the players, prominent Nigerians such as former Lagos State governor, Akinwunmi Ambode and ex-international, Austin ‘JayJay’ Okocha visited the team to give them the moral support ahead of the crunch tie with the hosts on Thursday.
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With his wealth of experience, Okocha, a former captain of the team and winner of the AFCON in 1994, emphasised that the path to victory at a major championship like the AFCON requires conquering strong opponents, so the Super Eagles should be ready to face the finest teams in the tournament.
On Thursday, buoyed by patriotism, passion and desire to get the maximum points, the Super Eagles coach, Jose Peseiro deployed a 4-3-3 formation on paper but on the pitch, it was 3-5-2 which was a masterclass stroke from the underperforming Portuguese coach.
After Equatorial Guinea defeated Guinea Bissau 4-2, both Cote d’Ivoire and Nigeria were under intense pressure to perform well, therefore both West African teams went straight after the other’s throat.
At least 49, 517 enthusiastic fans watched the epic clash at the Alassane Ouattara Olympic Stadium in Abidjan and William Troost-Ekong’s penalty goal in the 55th minute decided the thrilling West African Derby as the Super Eagles secured a momentous win over the Elephants.
This victory marked Ivory Coast as the first host nation to lose a group stage match in 17 matches, breaking a long-standing streak and also only the second host country to lose in the group stage of the Africa Cup of Nations in the 21st century, following Equatorial Guinea’s 1-0 defeat to Zambia in 2012.
It was also the first time since 1967 that the Super Eagles were able to beat Côte d’Ivoire on home soil. The result also ended Nigeria’s no-win streak in a chain of five matches and makes it the first time in six matches that the Super Eagles had a clean sheet. It also terminated Ivory Coast’s impressive seven-match unbeaten run.
Moreover, the victory also swung the momentum in the direction of the Super Eagles who are now confident of reaching the knock-out stage of the prestigious AFCON championship. The Eagles are now beginning to believe in themselves.
In the post-match press conference, Napoli’s prolific striker, Victor Osimhen, openly expressed his joy, stating, “It’s a beautiful victory; we knew we would face a strong Ivory Coast team.”
Acknowledging the magnitude of the challenge posed by Cote d’Ivoire, Osimhen added, “This match was a significant test for us, and we are thrilled to have overcome it.”
Assuring a consistent approach in upcoming matches, Osimhen emphasized adopting the same mentality displayed against the Elephants.
“In the first match, we had numerous chances that we didn’t capitalize on. Today wasn’t different; we maintained the same mentality, and we hope this victory brings joy to everyone. We will carry this mindset into the remainder of the competition,” he pledged.
And as they shift attention to the final group match with Guinea-Bissau who are yet to win a match at the AFCON, Osimhen emphasized respect for the whipping boys, saying “We aim for a strong performance against Guinea-Bissau. They will undoubtedly approach the game with determination, and we won’t underestimate any team, considering what they’ve done to qualify.”
The confidence in the camp of the Super Eagles is so infectious that a renowned grassroots football coach and the Secretary of the FCT FA, Haruna Ilerika, in a chat with Trust Sports, hailed the performance of the team and urged them to do more in future matches.
“The game against the hosts was better than the first one. We saw a team that was well-organised technically and structurally. The transition from defence to attack had sequence.
“We saw the team defend with a 1-4-5 formation and attack with counter attacks. By and large, the team did well and the coach was able to find stability.
“The goalkeeper gave the team confidence. I must commend Calvin Bassey who did a yeoman job stopping the Ivorians from using the left side of the defence. The coach showed his technical depth with his substitutions to shore up the defence. In the first game, we had more dominance but we were unable to convert, our sense of urgency was poor,” he said.
However, a former chairman of Gombe State Football Association (FA), Ahmed Shuaibu Gara-Gombe was less than impressive with the team’s performances so far.
“There is nothing euphoric about their performance so far. The Nations Cup has not started in a real sense of competitive measure. This will be known from the second round.
“Remember in Cameroon a few years ago, we won all our first three games at the Group stage and were celebrating with euphoria. But when the real Nations Cup started at the second round our deficiencies were glaring.
“The inefficiency of our technical crew, low morale and psychological mindset of our players were exposed and we crashed out.
“This Nations Cup is even worse. Our preparation is poor, the coaching crew is deficient, the team lacks cohesion and team work, injuries in and out, medical team assessment crisis, only two goals in two matches with some of the best strikers in the world. In addition, we are not consistent with our tactics,” said the Special Adviser on Strategy and Information Management to the Executive Governor of Gombe State.
But a former international, Victor Ikpebe, fondly called the ‘Prince of Monaco’ saw things from a different perspective as he praised the team’s efforts to get the win.
As things stand presently, the Super Eagles have leapfrogged the Elephants to go second in Group A and are behind leaders Equatorial Guinea, who beat Guinea-Bissau 4-2, on goal difference.
The Ivorians have three points after two games and will now need to beat Equatorial Guinea on Monday to guarantee progress to the knockout stage.
The Super Eagles whose four points for two group matches could be enough to see them through will face Guinea-Bissau in their final Group A fixture at the the Stade Félix Houphouët Boigny in Abidjan.
Indications are also strong that Nigerians’ Man of the Match against Equatorial Guinea, Alhassan Yusuf Abdullahi who was taken off due to a ‘minor injury’ in the second half of the opening match will be available for the last group match.
Another good signal is the absence of an open crisis in the camp of the Super Eagles over camping allowances and match bonuses as the players and officials are said to be focused on churning out good results on the field.
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