Super Eagles Send Strong Message With Argentina Win
The Super Eagles kicked off their preparation for the 2018 FIFA World Cup with a surprise 4-2 win over the La Albiceleste of Argentina, in Tuesday’s international friendly match, in faraway Krasnodar in Russia.
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The victory was made more appreciating given that the Argentines expectedly went two goals up in the first 30 minutes before they succumbed to the resilient Nigerians.
Even though super star, Lionel Messi, was not on display, a line-up replete with such tested stars as Sergio Aguero and Nicolas Otamendi of Manchester City, Paulo Dybala of Juventus, PSG’s Angel Di Maria and Jervia Mascherano of Barcelona, among others, couldn’t be dismissed with a wave of the hand and here is where the Super Eagles deserve commendation.
The match, meanwhile, showed that the Nigerian national team is on the right part in their progression. It also threw up some food for thought as Nigeria prepares for a quality representation at the World Cup in Russia. For instance, the duo of Tyrone Ebuehi and Bryan Idowu showed that Nigeria can finally banish the recurring nightmare in the right wing back position with their displays in the night.
Also, the match afforded Coach Rorh the opportunity to switch his formation from the usual 4-4-2 to ‘strange’ 3-5-2, which allowed for only three defenders against the fiery Argentines with FC Nantes’ Chidozie Awaziem joining in the three-man central defence.
The formation, no doubt, led to the central defensive combo of Leon Balogun and William Troost-Ekong, popularly called ‘Oyinbo Wall’, struggling, especially in the first half of the match. But it was expected as the coach was coming up with the formation for the first time. Rohr showed that he can effectively switch formations at the World Cup based on opposition.
The match equally brought the understanding between Kelechi Iheanacho and Alex Iwobi as they combined well upfront, a development Rohr even attested to during a press conference.
Even though there seems to be no end in sight yet in the search for a good replacement for ailing Carl Ikeme in Nigeria’s goalpost, the discovery of Francis Uzoho of Deportivo La Coruna was one of the highpoints of the match.
While so many Nigerians still pick hole in Daniel Akpeyi’s performance before he was replaced, not a few Nigerians applauded the performance of Uzoho, describing him as a future number one goalkeeper for the Super Eagles. This point was buttressed by Ifeanyi Udeze, the team’s former left full back, who described Uzoho as a long-term prospect for the team.
Finally, even as the match showed that Super Eagles can hold their own against some of the world’s bests, there is the need to talk-up the players to realise that their performance against Argentina was just one of the many hurdles towards fine-tuning them for the great tasks ahead.
They should not be complacent, believing that they have arrived and are ready for the World Cup.
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