If it was possible, the Carthage Eagles of Tunisia shouldn’t appear for the match. This the Nigeria territory. Winning the third place in the Africa cup of nations is akin to Arsenal constant top four during the Wenger era. You just can’t beat the Super Eagles in a third-place match. They have played eight third-place matches and won all the eight. It’s like their birthright.
They were always going to win especially when facing the goal-shy Tunisians.
The match started with Nigeria team attacking in a bid to get an early goal. That paid off after a Musa cross caused miscommunication between the goalkeeper and the defender. The ball eventually spilled waiting for someone to tap in or clear. Odion Ighalo reacted first and got his 5th goal of the tournament. That was the only goal of the match.
Remember I predicted here that the Carthage Eagles may not get a goal. Well, it played out exactly and they couldn’t get a goal.
The 1 goal scored in the match is not a true reflection of the attacking football on display by both teams. Khazri was the tormentor in chief of the Super Eagles. He is either drawing fouls or turning Collins inside out. Unfortunately, he couldn’t do it all by himself as his teammates are not on the same wavelength as him.
What does the future hold for Nigeria?
Amaju Pinnick already said that Rohr will not be sacked after many Nigerians called for his sack after the loss to the Desert foxes of Algeria. He said that he has met the expectations set for him which is to reach the Semifinals. Well, this is good news for continuity but I feel a change is needed.
Rohr has been at the helms of affairs of the Super Eagles for 3 years now and there is no recognizable pattern played. If you want to build a team for the future, you start with a good coach. The coach will have a pattern that will be instilled upon the team. Rohr is a lucky head coach and was fortunate Nigeria had few easy games, otherwise, he would have been sacked since.
We have exciting young players that can still play for the next 8 years. That is 2 world cups and 4 nations cup to prepare for. The likes of Ndidi, Chukwueze, Ola Aina, Uzoho, Collins can go on and make Nigeria proud in the future. They only need a good coach with the right tactics.
There will be a failure at first but it will be all smiles at the end. Spain and Germany won the world cup after years of tears. Portugal won the Euros and Nations league due to teamwork fostered by Fernando Santos. Cristiano Ronaldo, Moutinho, and Pepe all cried at a point but are now smiling. They delivered two international trophies for the country.
It will take years of planning and failures but it is worth it.
It begins with the right coach. Gernot Rohr should be sacked.
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