Gradually, the boys are being separated from the men. Sudan and shockingly, Tunisia have been sent packing. The signals are worrisome as the Super Eagles take on first time second round qualifiers, Mozambique. No doubt, most Nigerians see the pairing as favourable; a done deal already but the Mambas who sneaked into the Round of 16 as one of the four best third-placed finishers pose a big threat to Super Eagles ambition.
History has a way of repeating itself, at times, as an unwanted experience. Flash back to AFCON 2021, played in early 2022 in Cameroon. The Super Eagles played all their group matches in Garoua, in the Adamawa region of Cameroon. Under Nigeria’s perennial caretaker coach Austin Eguavoen, the Super Eagles opened up their campaign in a blistering form. The Pharaohs of Egypt were their first victims(1-0), then Sudan fell 3-1, followed by a 2-0 victory over Guinea-Bissau.
The Super Eagles cleared all the available points, amassed 7 goals and conceded 1. Coach Eguavoen was named as the best coach of the group stage and Moses Simon was picked in the best X1 of the group stage.
Then came the Round of 16 clash against Tunisia, which won only one match at the group stage. Having topped Group D, Nigeria remained at the Rounde Adjia Stadium in Garoua for the encounter. Before the match, it was rumoured that Tunisia wanted to appeal to CAF for a possible shift in date due to the fact that their squad had been left without a bench due to Covid-19 infection. It was difficult to know whether it was a mind game or a ploy to make Nigeria develop a false sense of security and unduly overconfident. And it worked. Tunisia stunned Nigeria with a solitary strike by Youssef Msakni who beat goalkeeper Maduka Okoye with a long-range shot two minutes into the second half. Alex Iwobi was sent off. Okoye was heavily criticised for letting the ball past him. Indeed, that has gone a long way in defining Okoye’s international career.
Today, Nigeria is facing a similar situation. The Mambas earned their place in the Round of 16 after just one victory in three matches, which suits their underdog status. However, staying in the tournament when historically more accomplished teams have gone carries a message of intent. They are here by right and are ready to compete. Influential Mozambique midfielder Manuel Kambala has said in clear terms that, “we are not going home on Monday.” Very combative and courageous.
Nigeria head coach Eric Chelle has cut a picture of a very mature man. He has refused to be carried away after being named Best Coach of the Group stage. He said, “we have not won anything yet. We are here for the trophy but the most important thing now is Mozambique.”
Chelle knows the history of his team. He must have been told of the 2021 AFCON episode and its sour taste. He won’t let any negative history repeat itself.
Chelle has enough weapons in his amoury. With eight goals from three group matches, his fearsome front line is about the best in Africa. Definitely Chelle will deploy Osimhen, Lookman, Adams, Chukwueze or Moses Simon to give the ambitious Mambas a busy time at the rear. After wiping away the AFCON 2021 Tunisia toga with a pivotal role in the demolition of the Carthage Eagles in Morocco Alex Iwobi will return to the midfield along with captain Wilfred Ndidi and Frank Onyeka. The defence line will be led by Ajayi, Calvin Bassey, Bruno Onyemaechi.
The contentious position is the goalkeeping department where Nwabali could stage a comeback after taking a rest in the Uganda win. Francis Uzoho is an option. He has not been given enough test although he was between the sticks in the victory against Uganda.
