Few would have betted about Nigeria winning the 29th edition of the African Cup of Nations. Even fewer would have betted Burkina Faso would make it to the finals. But football is a very unpredictable game, and so the second African cup of nations to hold in South Africa condensed itself into a tactical non-event. Out of this unforgiving moment came a predictable result unimaginable even to the most die-hard Nigerian fans when the tournament kicked off.
The match ended with the Super Eagles holding aloft its first Nations Cup trophy in 19 years, having gained a (1-0) edge from an inspirational moment of personal brilliance by Sunday Mba. Nigeria will therefore represent Africa in this year’s Confederations Cup in Brazil. But this tournament is destined to be remembered less for which team won it and how it was won than for how it was lost.
While the Super Eagles danced and hugged and skipped around the at the FNB Stadium in Johannesburg which became a celebrative samba of green and white, the stunned Burkina Faso players wept openly, looking distraught, hanging their heads, inconsolable. The fairy tale story of the rank outsiders ended short on the biggest stage in a game that could have gone either way.
But the Stallions, who had never won a match outside home soil in the tournament, will rue their chances, which in fairness were few. In today’s taut if inelegant final, Nigeria faced a familiar tactic.
The finals featuring two teams packed full of talent served up a classic tactical cancellation by fielding very similar 4-2-3-1 formations and thus produce a stalemate in what was a hotly contested high stakes game that failed to serve up a thrilling cocktail of football. Although Nigeria was the favorites on paper, both teams will likely settle for the “safety first” option.
A lack of tactical development saw numerous sides field a straight 4-4-2 but it was just unfortunate that both Nigeria’s and Burkina Faso play the same system that saw their best players blunted. Generally speaking, a pair of holding pivots in the midfield suffocates any space. The result was a lack of flow to the game, no certifiable dominance in possession and a lot of toothless looking attacks.
With the flanks won by no one and the midfield not dominated either, it wasn’t a pretty game; rather it came down to an individual inspirational moment of personal brilliance to make the difference – no surprises considering the tactical stalemate. You can close gaps, shut down space and force opponents into certain areas all you want, but you can’t legislate for one man taking the ball, dancing past three and scooping one into the net.
Six players in central midfield made for almost no space to play in throughout the opposition’s third and stumped any quick, incisive counter-attacks. Nigeria’s holding midfield closed the space in front of their defensive line, while Burkina Faso did the same to stop Onazi from playing. Burkina Faso compressed its defense like the bellows of an accordion, and Nigeria could not penetrate for a goal. It was a slow moving and laborious game and the biggest highlight that separated the two teams was Mba’s moment of magic five minutes before the break.
Nigerian coach, Stephen Keshi, became just the second man in AFCON’s 56-year history to win the AFCON as both a player and a coach after Egypt’s Mahmoud El Gohary, with the 51-year-old having captained the Super Eagles to victory in 1994, when they last won the competition 19 years ago. Keshi, who turned 51 during the tournament, is a veritable veteran of the African championship. He has played at five tournaments, was a squad member at a sixth, been assistant coach twice and now is head coach for the third time – a record total of 11.
The “Big Boss” was under huge pressure, with the national press, supporters and even government officials back home all criticizing his team selections. However, the disciplinarian stuck to his principles, especially when it came to his preference for selecting mainly domestic-based players, and his decisions have been truly vindicated with Nigeria now having reached redemption. Burkina Faso must be indeed frustrated. They were so near their first history making title and didn’t get it.
