"We Dey Vex Come" Turns into a Dud...

Freetown ... In spite of the vaunted Kelechi Iheanacho video "We dey vex come" claim of Nigeria's preparedness to vanquish Sierra Leone in Freetown today, it ended in a dud and thud. A 0-0 draw was far underneath what Nigerian fans and football administrators hoped for in an African Cup of Nations qualifier but it kept Nigeria well on its way to reaching another AFCON finals with two games left on the slate. But it is yet unknown whether the Manager Gernot Rohr will be at the helm for those remaining two qualifying games.

Rohr had hinged his prospects on European-bred talent but their productivity against a lowly-ranked Sierra Leone was a disappointment and far rom what was expected. The NFF had hinged its cards on this breed of footballers as the hopes of challenging world powers loomed in the horizon. Yet, challenging the also-rans in Africa proved too tall a challenge when it counted.

Gernot Rohr

In the end, football once again underlined that merely being bred in European academies gives no one a pass when it comes to African football encounters. The game must still be played, not on paper or by pedigree, but inch for inch, grit for grit, on the rough pitches, hard surfaces, scalding heat, and the officiating shenanigans in Africa arena.

What was quite surprising in this second game between both teams, in a week, was the fact that Sierra Leone gave just as much as it received for long stretches of the game. Nigeria, for all its vaunted European-bred players, never took complete control of the game for any considerable stretch. Instead, the ball was fought by the host Leone Stars. A magnificent header by Kei Kamara had to be saved by Nigeria's Okoye to keep Eagles from conceding after half an hour. It was not the only chance that fell to the hosts but it underlined the fact that they seemed ready to pluck the wings of the media celebrated Eagles.

In the second period, Nigeria seemed to up the game a bit in a more frenzied display that put the hosts on the back foot. Aribo had the best of the opportunities but he chose to rifle a great chance wide from inside the box after 51 minutes. 

It became complaints galore as Musa led a catalogue of complaints after each refereeing call. Eventually, Guinean referee Tawel Cara Younoussa had enough and booked the Nigerian captain in the 72nd minute. This was ten minutes after Younnoussa had ruled offside after Iheanacho put the ball in the net from a cross. But the truth is that inspite of the catalog of complaints from Nigeria, the Eagles never established any dominating performance over their host.

Now, Manager Gernot Rohr must surely face deep examination from Nigeria's football officials. He has established one of the longest tenures of any Nigerian manager but yet his productivity is middling at best. It will be a miracle if he comes out of this unscathed considering the knives that had been sharpening since the shock 4-4 tie with Sierra Leone a week ago. His decision making in player selection, tactical choices, and game management have laid bare a management that raises more questions than it answers.

NIGERIA: Maduka Okoye (1) -- Kevin Akpoguma (22) (74th Chiedozie Awaziem (20), William Ekong (5), Leon Balogun (6), Ola Aina (2) -- Etebo Oghenekaro (8)* (38th Abdullahi Shehu (12)) -- Samuel Chukwueze (11), Joseph Aribo (10) (82nd Semi Ajayi (16)), Alex Iwobi (18), Ahmed Musa (cpt - 7) -- Kelechi Iheanacho (14) (82nd  Emma Bournaventure Dennis (15)).