Football Nigeria -- Eagles Etcetera

Nigeria's 3-2 win over Libya in Sfax, Tunisia means that Nigeria is virtually into the 2019 African Cup of Nations finals with just a win to spare. With a home game looming against Seychelles it will take a miracle to deny Nigeria. In fact, Nigeria can get to the final even before that home game. In Sfax, Nigeria was clearly the better team in the opening half with ball possession that mystified the Libyans for the opening half hour. By the 70th minute, Nigeria had possessed the ball for more than 60% of the game. Although, Libya fought back gamely in the second half as Nigeria sought to protect its early 2-1 lead, Nigeria struck back to win 3-2 after conceding a Libyan equalizer. Nigeria has to show that it can consistently play as it did in that opening half when Libya was completely outclassed and every Nigerian player was having an excellent day, bar the goalkeeper. The attacking play was especially dangerous with Ighalo presenting monumental problems for Libya and Musa and...

Nigeria 4 Libya 0 in Uyo, Nigeria. That was the score as Nigeria slides past Libya for second place in the African Cup of Nations (AFON) qualifiers. Of course, that was not the only headline from this game. The big one, in fact, is Odion Ighalo completing a hat trick. It was a surprise given his anemic goal scoring for the national team and the fact that his position as the starting striker was possibly under threat. His hat trick was the first three-goal day for a Nigerian national team player since Oduamadi’s three against the hapless Tahiti at the Confederations Cup in Belo Horizonte in 2013. But it was not just about Ighalo. In fact, he benefitted from the enterprising display by Alex Iwobi who was invigorating as the most advanced midfielder centrally. It was Iwobi’s magnificent pass, cutting out multiple defenders that presented Ighalo with the opportunity. Iwobi was all over the field and his play was notable but as much as it was the difference maker in the second half, in...

Nigeria's manager, Gernot Rohr, repeatedly informed the world that his team was one of the youngest, on average, at the 2018 World Cup. He touted that perspective before, at, and then after the World Cup. Rohr used it to suggest a reason why his team did not go beyond the group phase in Russia. But the reality is that Nigerians have previously experienced better and such an excuse should be taken with a dose of doubt. Gernot Rohr may not have gone past the Group phase at the World Cup but such an excuse will find him packing his bag out of Nigeria if the team fails to qualify for the 2019 African Cup of Nations in Cameroon. Thus, instead of touting a perspective that leans on rebuilding, he has to demonstrate that his team is now beyond that or that it, at least, is transitioning to the consolidation phase in building a strong Nigerian team capable of becoming African champion again. Consolidation does not mean absence of new players but it does require a team playing with exp...