While the fate of the Super Eagles hangs on the balance, Ivory Coast, South Africa and (wait a minute), Cape Verde have booked their tickets for the knock-out stages.
With two points and two goals from two games played so far, Coach Stephen Keshi’s “Plan
A” of topping the group to play a quarterfinal game at Nelspruit seems to have become a luxurious desire as Keshi comes under increasing pressure for his technical and tactical options, while his selection of some players has been called into question.
Keshi however remains upbeat about the Eagle’s chances of making the round of sixteen on Tuesday in their last group game against Ethiopia; arguably the whipping boys of the group.
Ethiopia tops the group from the bottom having been whitewashed (0-4) by Burkina Faso in their second game. Burkina Faso needs just a draw in their last game against reigning champions Zambia who have two points and just one goal scored in their first two matches.
All the permutations show the odds are against the Super Eagles who must beat Ethiopia to ensure qualification. Since Nigeria played a (1-1) tie with both Burkina Faso and Zambia, its goal differential with the two countries is (0). Should Zambia beat Burkina Faso in their final group match and Nigeria beats Ethiopia, Zambia and Nigeria will qualify from the group with five points each. Meanwhile, if Burkina Faso beats Zambia; Nigeria will need just a draw against Ethiopia to make the knock-out stages but Ethiopia will qualify with four points by beating Nigeria.
In the unlikely scenario of a (0-0) tie amongst all the four teams, Burkina Faso will top the group with five points and Nigeria will still be able to sneak into the round of 16 with three points from three draws. But if Zambia plays a (2-2) tie with Burkina Faso, Nigeria is out on goal difference.
Ahead of Tuesday’s crucial game, the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) has urged the Super Eagles to redouble their efforts to qualify for the quarter finals, warning that failure to make it to the next round of the competition would be an embarrassment to the nation. “It will be a shame to the whole country if we fail to pick a quarter final ticket,” the National League’s Ahmed Kawu said in an interview.
Before their second match, Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi gave the players $100,000 and promised more as they progress, a motivation the players could not build on. The Federal Government had released over N700 million for the team’s preparation and participation in the tournament but as the team struggled to grab another draw against Zambia, soccer aficionados have been questioning Keshi’s technical and tactical options, including the caliber of players he assembled for the tournament.
Although consensus opinion agrees the team is a work in progress, of particular worry is the fitness level of some of the players for the competition, whose performance have become the source of controversy and anger. For example, team captain Joseph Yobo has been facing some fitness issues in his club and was definitely not 100% fit for this competition, yet Keshi included him.
Yobo, who said he was making his last appearance at the Nations Cup for Nigeria was on the bench throughout the game against Zambia. Since injury did not allow Yobo to play in some of the qualifying games, Yobo ought not to have made the final 23. It is believed Keshi included him in the squad to offer him a befitting exit from the Eagles and to recognize his services rendered to the nation.
Besides Yobo, even Gabriel Reuben was injured, yet Keshi still included his name on the list.
It is also hard to understand Keshi’s preference for Ahmed Musa who has not been at his best, while a player like Ikechukwu Uche has started all the first two matches from the bench. Keshi has introduced Uche late in the two games despite his good run of form, suggesting there might be some locker room issues between the coach and the player. Also, questions have arisen as to the presence of Fegor Ogude in the team, with speculations rising that Keshi like his counterparts before him, has adopted a mercantilist quid pro quo attitude of using the Nations Cup as platform to expose players and later sell them to foreign clubs for a kickback.
Eyebrows have also been raised over the performance of John Mikel Obi who has been anything but convincing in the midfield. Mikel Obi has not been inspiring and creative and he compounded his poor performance by losing a penalty against Zambia.
“If he had scored that goal, perhaps we could have gone two goals ahead before Zambia got their goal and in that case Nigeria would still have won. When did Mikel suddenly become a penalty player for the Eagles? He clearly showed the keeper the direction he was kicking the ball. He did the same in our last qualifier against Liberia in Calabar though he scored. Mikel is not inspiring in the midfield and he needs to up his game,” an angry supporter told Huhuonline.com at the end of the match.
Meanwhile, host country, South Africa, debutants, tiny Cape Verde and tournament favorites, Ivory Coast, have booked their tickets in the knock-out stages. After edging a gutsy Togolese side (2-1) in their first game, the Ivorians defeated Tunisia (3-0) in their second game and have Algeria, already eliminated in their third group match. Togo battles Tunisia in another make or break match for second place.
Debutants Cape Verde qualified for the last eight after coming from behind to beat Angola 2-1 in Port Elizabeth. The Angolans took the lead through an own goal from Cape Verde defender Neves. The Blue Sharks equalized with nine minutes left, after defender Fernando Varela headed in from close range. Substitute Heldon snatched the winner in the 90th minute to secure second place in Group A behind South Africa which played a pulsating (2-2) tie with Morocco.
