Algerian Desert Foxes tamed by the Super Eagles of Nigeria.

First of all I want tender an unreserved apology to Gernot Rohr, the Super Eagles Supremo. I doubted his technical and tactical abilities. He has so far proved me wrong. He seem to have a good understanding of African football.


Super Eagles of Nigeria beat the Desert Foxes of Algeria 3-1 in a keenly contested Russia 2018 World Cup qualifier played in Uyo over he weekend. Before the game, the argument was how many goals Nigeria will concede bearing in mind the Algerians were coming with Riyadh Mahrez, Islam Slimani, Nadib Bentaleb and Yacine Brahimi. Rohr may have made a positive impression during his outing in Zambia where Nigeria beat them 1-2 but the football community were yet to recover from the reign of confusion that is the Sunday Oliseh tenure.
Going into the game, Nigerians simply didn't know what to expect. The expectation was that the magic will come from Iwobi and Iheanacho but that was not to be. By their own standards they had a below average game. Iheanacho fluffed a begging chance to guide in the ball from the near post. Iwobi? Haha...see eh, if you are Jay Jay Okocha's nephew the world will know. The only way to know a Jay Jay's nephew is by what he does with the ball. A back leg flip over the head was all that was needed to confirm his family line. He is a Jay Jay.

One wonders why exactly Mikel Obi isn't deemed fit to make Antonio Contè's bench. The charismatic Super Eagles captain put the Algerian midfield on their toes. He dictated the pace of play effectively. Onazi remains that player you want to see in his best form. You see him one minute and he disappears for the next five. The blonde hair he spotted previously helped in knowing where exactly he was on the field. His form hasn't been constant in recent times. Whatever magic Contè performed on Victor Moses is potent. He was fearless, straight and beastly on the day and that gifted him the first goal of the game. For his second, he kept his calm as he cooly slotted home in the dying minutes. Oghenekero Etebo was simply mercurial. He gave a solid account of himself. Nigerians expect to see him play more often for the team. Mikel scored a somewhat comical goal as everyone including himself thought he was offside. He realised he was onside and scored. Some have refused to end the argument on his position.

The shot above shows he was clearly onside and therfore the referee was right on his call.

The only negative from that game was the Super Eagles' defence. The disorganisation was evident. Omeruo was caught on possession severally and slowed Dow the attack from his flank. William Troost Ekong left a lot to be desired. He looked weather beaten in the game and showed lack of composure. Leon Balogun was the more composed of the two but William's below average performance affected his own game as he had to cover up for the shortcomings. A look at the shot above shows the bad positioning that assisted the stunnning Algerian goal. Bentaleb was in a world of his own. Even if he decided not to shoot, there were two other players well positioned to score. The entire Nigerian defence line were inside the 18 yard box at the point the goal was scored! Four Nigerian defenders against one Algerian striker!!! That is a No No! Where was Onazi? He was supposed to be the last man in the midfield. Those three Algerians had no business being free in that area. Daniel Akpeyi too did not show confidence on the ball. Every back pass to him generated faster heart beats for the fans.

Generally, the Super Eagles had a good game. The technical crew just need to put the defence in order. If it is impossible then we may be needing the services of Chief Uche Okechukwu and Pastor Taribo West to come off retirement and run the defence line.

Photo credit (Picture 1): goal.com /getty images
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