A popular expression says ‘to be fore warned is to be fore armed;’ and that’s the warning I have today for the Super Eagles of Nigeria.
This warning comes at the height of Nigeria’s euphoria over a 4-1 trouncing handed out to Gabon on Thursday in Rabat, Morocco.
It was the first semi-final of the new look World Cup qualification play-offs … and Nigerian football fans are still bowled over with glee.
Sadly, in times like this, we fail to read between the lines and cross-check all indices appropriately. We throw caution to the wind and let celebrations take over our reasoning faculties.
Give it to our coach, Eric Chelle, though … as he rightfully said, the time to celebrate should be after the final whistle on Sunday, once the result of the game is in Nigeria’s favour. That would be the time not only to smile (using his words) but to laugh and sing songs of ecstasy … until the next stage comes in March.
So, for anyone who’s still gloating over Victor Osimhen’s brace of goals, please remember the sitter he missed just before the end of regulation time. For anyone relishing the 4-1 scoreline, please note that the Gabonese did not play like they wanted to win the game.
In fact, for me, had Gabon won that match, it would have been not only a disservice to the values of good football but also a shame to standards of the round leather game in Africa.
They played with so much caution, hesitation, tentativeness, trepidation and no intensity; to the extent that it did not come as a surprise to me that they gave away the game’s first goal with such a poorly placed back pass.
Such a sorry sight it was seeing them virtually begging the referee to give them a penalty when that long VAR check was on.
At that point, I am sure all Nigerians who expressed worry about a South African arbiter at the centre of this game would have held their hearts in their mouths.
However, at the end of the long check, while the fans celebrated ‘no penalty’ against Nigeria, I simply said it was only because Gabon didn’t deserve it.
When they eventually did score from a freak pullout that went in off a deflection, I simply told myself: The gods of soccer are angry with the Super Eagles!
Soon after, Victor Osimhen missed a sitter that would have prevented the game from going into extra time … and it came back to me once more: The gods of soccer are angry with the Super Eagles.
Now I’m sure you are asking, ‘Why are the gods of soccer angry with Nigeria?’
The answer simply is that the logic of victory in top grade matches should not allow you get away with a boycott of training just two days before a big game. Yes, you shouldn’t expect victory if your camp is in turmoil before a big game! You ought to be punished for such inaction and indiscretion!!
The next question would then be, ‘How come we eventually won the game?’ This time, there are three answers –
1. Gabon were not good enough to beat us.
2. The zeal of players like Victor Osimhen, Benjamin Fredrick, and Calvin Bassey had to be rewarded.
3. The prayers of many Nigerians brought mercy our way when it mattered most.
However, we must not get carried away with this mammoth scoreline and go to sleep against DR Congo.
They are on a high after pulling off a big shock against Cameroon, and they will give everything to get a second massive result in three days. While we might allow complacency to affect us, they would roll out another potent dose of assertive venom and take full advantage of our laxity.
So, ‘to be fore warned is to be fore armed’ … especially with three loopholes that I noticed in Thursday’s match:
1. We lack substitutes for off-form Ademola Lookman and ineffective Samuel Chukwueze.
2. Stanley Nwabali is not only shaky, he’s now clowning and alarmist.
3. Our full backs may be adventurous up front, but they are shaky in their defensive roles.
Will the gods of soccer favour bloated Nigeria against a team hungry for glory, seeking only a second-ever World Cup appearance after their debut over 41 years ago, and so desperate to be giant killers once again?
Will Nigeria laugh last again on Sunday? Time will tell…
By Sam O’Femi Fasetire
