What Happened To The Eagles, Stars?

Whoever read my analysis yesterday before the match would remember I warned of last night’s outcome…DON’T ENTER THE PITCH THINKING YOU’VE ALREADY BEATEN IRAN!

 

Moses had a poor outing!

The Super Eagles didn’t read my script certainly but Stephen Keshi should have known better. His starting line-up wasn’t quite different from my expectation … in his shoes I should have started Osaze Odewingie in place of Ramon Azeez. Even if I must start Azeez, it should have been partnering Ogenyi Onazi in defensive midfield instead of saddling him with the creative role. With such midfield personnel, Mikel Obi should have been the creative arm. As far as I was concerned, the match was lost, or not won, in the middle.

What baffled me , and I know  many others, is why Keshi left Osaze from the starting line-up …and had to wait that late to bring him in. Yes, Victor Moses wasn’t in the game…but I believed it was Azeez that completely isolated him. Osaze would have lightened him up but by then the Chelsea loanee had left the pitch. What happened to Emmanuel Emenike? For once, the usually reliable hitman was a sorry sight on an Eagle jersey…poor runs off the ball, pathetic control, amateurish positioning summarized his indifferent performance. Then Ahmed Musa …all running without direction! How could a team that so lifted hearts degenerate to such apathy level within so short a time?

Brings me to fitness. What happened to the players’ usually reliable fitness level? Besides Osaze, why couldn’t any Eagles try solo runs with the ball as the Iranians stood ground and game wore on? At the Nations Cup, it was their fitness level that stood out. Sylvanus Okpala was in charge of that department…but he was sacked! Keshi pleaded with the NFF to bring back Okpala for the World Cup but the big men in the glass house turned deaf ears! Is Okpala’s shabby treatment haunting Nigeria? Your guess!

In all, it was a very disappointing outing…from the Nigerian perspective. The only match so far that didn't produce either a winner or even a goal!

 

Question now – can Nigeria still qualify from this group? A bold YES. Very difficult but very possible. All we need is beat Bosnia and Herzegovina. I’ve seen the Eagles raise their game before after a poor outing. They did that admirably when they met Cote D’Ivoire at the Nations Cup. They can do it again. Yes, criticise their performance but do not write them off. They are capable of coming back and I believe they will.

Come On, You Eagles!

 

Unlucky Gyan...!

Then Ghana…the Black Stars had the misfortune of going behind in less than a minute …but came out, dominated the rest 89 minutes, got a deserved equalizer late in the game. To be frank with footballing principles, Ghana deserved the three points and rightly went for it…then a contentious corner and the Africans went behind again with three minutes separate their joy and sorrow…and with same three minutes remaining to make any amends. But it wasn’t to be…a team that deserved all three points ended up with none.

 If you watched the match, you’d agree with me that dear Ghana didn’t fail due to lack of trying. They played football…defended when they should after that first minute lethargy, dominated every department of play, created loads of chances, forced the US keeper into series of crucial saves, missed targets by inches, got a classy equalizer but got outdone by god of soccer, who probably didn’t fancy their juju man, who was in full display!

A poor night for Africa…but again, can Ghana bounce back? Certainly…very difficult now but not impossible. Portugal is pathetic…this Ghana can beat them if the Africans sort their differences with the god of soccer. Germany is a no-go…but if Ghana needs a draw to go through, then all things are possible.

Come, dear stars, stand up, take your three points against Portugal and all things are possible.