Football | Super Eagles
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Excellent football was on display on Monday night at Craven Cottage as African champions, Nigeria drew 2-2 with Italy in an exciting friendly international.
Many are adamant the game is the best performance by a Nigerian side for a long time and supersport.com now looks back on a special night from the perspectives of the lessons learnt in the first match played by Stephen Keshi’s charges since qualification for the 2014 Fifa World Cup was achieved.
Slow starters
Nigerian teams are notoriously slow starters to games and that was again displayed on Monday night.
The Super Eagles only started showing their true quality after Giuseppe Rossi had given the Italians the lead in the 12th minute.
Nigeria went on to score two quick goals to go into the break 2-1 up.
Exasperatingly, the African champions conceded again just two minutes after the restart as they began the half slowly again.
If you want to claim world class scalp, you must start games and halves strongly and never switch off at any point in the game.
The Super Eagles, sadly did not show such traits on Monday.
Joy from the wings
Back in the day, Nigerian teams were known for their deadly efficiency from the wings.
The two goals Nigeria scored showed that Keshi, while looking to tactically mix up things nicely, would not really mind looking down favourably on the traditions of old.
Nigeria’s equalizer on 35 minutes was scored after Ameobi’s good work on the wings ended with a pin point delivery gobbled up by Bright Dike.
The second on 39 minutes came about after a flowing move down the left with Benjamin Francis providing the telling cross which was acrobatically turned in by Ameobi.
Ameobi is a gem
When Ameobi missed the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations as a result of a clause in his contract, Keshi was distraught.
“Ameobi reminds me of myself when I was younger. He can control the team with his experience and organise the boys. The players respect and listen to him because of his charisma,” Keshi told supersport.com.
It is now clear that Keshi does not just select Ameobi for Nigeria games because of his invaluable contributions from the sidelines.
Ameobi showed on Monday night that he’s like old wine that gets better with age with a man-of-the-match display that saw him score one and provide an assist.
The Newcastle United man, who was replaced by darling of the supporters, Emmanuel Emenike of Fenerbahce after 65 minutes is now a fans favourite.
Dike knows his way to goal
Dike’s statistics for the Super Eagles reads: two starts, two goals scored.
Many a cynic raised eyebrows when the 26-year-old was drafted into Nigeria’s provisional 2013 Africa Cup of Nations squad.
He failed to make the final 23-man squad but most Nigerians refused to forget his heroics in the friendly game against Catalonia which was capped by a super goal.
Dike showed on Monday that his star showing against Catalonia was no fluke with a fine headed goal against the Azzuri.
Goals are not just what Dike’s game represents though as he worked hard for the team and earned the praise of all when he was eventually substituted in the 65thminute.
Blessed with two excellent goalkeepers
It’s no longer new that Vincent Enyeama is widely regarded this season as one of the best goalkeepers in the world.
In 13 starts for Lille OSC this season; the 31-year-old has kept clean sheets in 11 of them. It is a ridiculously impressive return not matched by any goalkeeper in Europe’s top five leagues this season.
On Monday night, Keshi opted to rest his star goalkeeper but his replacement, Austin Ejide showed he’s quite as good as he denied the world-class Italian forwards time and time again.
He even picked an injury as he defied logic to turn away Marco Parolo’s goal-bound effort in the second half.
Enyeama duly took Ejide’s place and continued from where he stopped with some big saves that kept those watching at the edge of their seats.
The Italians had 11 shots on target and even more goalscoring situations.
The Nigeria team fought hard on the night but without those two excellent goalkeepers, the Italians would have scored more than the two goals they notched up on Monday night.
Keshi’s headache
Keshi started only four players that contributed in the 2-0 win over Ethiopia on Saturday.
Strangely, the team on Monday, with seven players who ordinarily would not make the first team, played better; much better and they were facing a side full of world class talent.
Some will now argue that Keshi’s second XI is even better than his first team, a welcome headache for any trainer.
For the first time in a long time, we can see a Nigerian team with real depth. Keshi has quietly but efficiently gone about his business of ensuring that no one in the squad can relax with the knowledge that his place is safe.
That is one important foundation of building a really strong team.
The Super Eagles have guts
The Italians started like a house on fire and threatened to run away with a big win but the Super Eagles equalised and even went in front at half time.
Italy equalised and was on the front seat for certain moments in the second half but the Nigerian team stuck together, dug deep and got a creditable draw.
Onazi even had a glorious chance to win it at the death but was denied by some last ditch Italian defending.
This Nigerian team has shown that they will not be bullied into submission by any opposition in the world.
Eagles need more games like this
On Saturday, Nigeria beat Ethiopia 2-0 to become the first African side to qualify for the 2014 Fifa World Cup finals in Brazil but the performance lacked sparkle.
On Monday night, the players raised their game five notches against storied opposition. You can only beat what’s in front of you and the players needed no extra motivation to face the four-time world champions.
The players and coaches of the Nigeria team learnt lots of lessons playing against players like Diamanti, Parolo, Pirlo, Balotelli, Candreva, Giacherrini and Thiago Motta.
As the 2014 World Cup draws even nearer, it’s obvious that more of such Grade A friendlies must be lined up if the team is to improve even further.
None of the players can relax
Stephen Keshi started only four players from the side that beat Ethiopia on Saturday but the seven fresh faces in the team on Monday played like the gaffer was wrong not to include them originally.
That is what every coach wants to see; players on the fringes stepping up to the plate with big performances that will keep the others on their toes.
It’s official, Keshi now has a big selection headache.
Home boys did well
Keshi is never afraid to take risks. His gamble with home-based players saw talent like Sunday Mba, Chigozie Agbim, Godfrey Oboabona and Azubuike Egwuekwe step up from the shadows.
On Monday night, he threw in two unheralded players, Solomon Kwambe and Benjamin Francis into the deep end.
The duo did not disappoint. Kwambe did well on the right and Francis provided the assist for Nigeria’s second game.
This team can be better than the squad of 94
In January 2013, Keshi told supersport.com’s Calvin Emeka Onwuka that his present squad of players had the quality to be better that the all-conquering Nigeria side of 1994.
Many scoffed then. They won’t scoff anymore.
The signs are now obvious and lucidly clear. If Keshi continues on this path, this squad of players will be better than the side of 1994 that boasted of players like Rashidi Yekini, Finidi Geoge, Ben Iroha, Daniel Amokachi, Emmanuel Emenike and Sunday Oliseh.
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