As far as qualification for the 2022 FIFA World Cup is concerned, the Super Eagles are undoubtedly walking a tightrope. Their chances of reaching Qatar for a seventh World Cup appearance was left hanging by a thread after they failed to secure at least a scored-draw against the Black Stars of Ghana in the CAF third round, first leg 2022 World Cup qualifier at the Baba Yara Sports Complex last Friday in Kumasi
Although most Nigerians are aware that the away result is not in favour of their darling team, they don’t know that the barren draw is as bad as an outright defeat. It is, therefore, out of shallow knowledge that some of the Super Eagles fans are of the view that the scoreless draw does not portend any serious danger. They are rather optimistic that their team will finish the job in Abuja on Tuesday.
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However, going by the rules of this competition, the Black Stars who stopped the Super Eagles from scoring against them have the upper hand going into the return leg. According to the rules, if Ghana earns a scored-draw in Nigeria, 1-1, 2-2, 3-3 etc, it will be enough to take them to Qatar at the expense of Nigeria.
But if the match ends in a barren draw again, then both teams would head straight into the ‘game of lottery’ as penalty kicks are called. So, on the surface, it may appear as if the Super Eagles helped their cause by picking a draw in Kumasi but their failure to score has left them in a quagmire. Any scored-draw would have taken the pressure off the Super Eagles.
Unfortunately, the Super Eagles failed to create chances in Kumasi and the few that fell to Victor Osimhen and Moses Simon were squandered. Probably the strikers were too anxious to score so the self inflicted pressure didn’t allow them time to compose themselves in front of goal.
Their passes in the final third were also inaccurate and couldn’t trouble the Black Stars’ backline. Those penetrative passes that could easily put the strikers clear on goal were missing as the midfielders kept hauling balls at Osimhen who continued to rove restlessly and fruitlessly.
Again, the Super Eagles repeated the same mistake that sent them crashing out of the 2021 AFCON in Cameroon. The men in front were still predictable. Like the Carthage Eagles of Tunisia, the Black Stars defenders knew that once they double marked our attacking wingers, they would effectively clip the wings of the Super Eagles.
That was exactly what happened in Kumasi as it took a very long time for the presence of Simon Moses and Samuel Chukwueze on the pitch to be noticed. They were so anonymous, yet the technical bench failed to find a quick solution. Maybe swapping the wingers’ positions would have been a good option but the coaches’ thinking caps weren’t on.
But credit must be given to the Black Stars defence for doing a thorough job on the Super Eagles. The defenders quickly closed down the Super Eagles strikers using man-to-man or mixed-zoning formation and swiftly tilted en masse towards the direction of any attack. This made it almost impossible for the Super Eagles to penetrate their defensive wall.
It was a daunting task for the Super Eagles who didn’t appear coordinated. However, most Nigerians still feel that despite the Ghanaian blockage, the Super Eagles should have done something extraordinary to score that crucial goal to make the second leg less tricky for them. As it is now, the Ghanaians are coming with the aim of scoring a goal or goals for a draw or outright win that will fetch them the ticket.
Although they must not throw caution to the wind, the Super Eagles should be ready to catch the Ghanaians on quick counters, if they become too adventurous in Abuja. In Kumasi, the hosts were cautious in attacking their opponents because they knew throwing the game wide open would easily open the way for the desperate Super Eagles to deliver the sucker punch.
Therefore, football fans are going to watch a more open and entertaining match in Abuja because the Super Eagles and the Black Stars would do everything possible to stop the match from going into a penalty shoot-out. There is no second chance to reach Qatar so it would be a feisty contest.
The Super Eagles may be favourites to win the available ticket but there is this nagging concern about the high quality of some of Ghana’s attackers. In Kumasi, the fleet-footed Mohammed Kudus was a terror as he continued to turn FC Porto’s Zaidu Sanusi inside-out with his sleek moves. Indeed, the Black Stars were better on the ball.
But this shouldn’t be any serious problem. If the Super Eagles will improve on their ball handling, passing, coordination in the final third and shooting accuracy, the return leg of the ‘stalemated jollof derby’ would end in their favour right here in Abuja.
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