National Daily

Nigeria's 2010 soccer adventure

By LUKMAN OLOGUNRO

AFTER four rounds of matches which saw them amassing the 12 maximum points at stake, the Super Eagles of Nigeria becomes the first, and only team yet, that has secured a ticket to the next African Nations Cup billed for Angola in 2010. .
The qualification series which is also serving as the first phase of the World Cup 2010 in South Africa saw countries in the continent embarking on an unprecedented sequence of games played within the shortest time frame, from the weekend of May 30 through June 22.

Nigeria, playing in Group Four which also comprises South Africa, Sierra Leone and Equatorial Guinea began the chase for glory with the Bafana Bafana. Both teams has a disappointing outing at the Nations Cup held in Ghana early in the year and as such head into the game with all to play for

Like Nigeria which has Shaibu Amodu as its coach, South Africa is also having a new bench leader in the person of Brazilian Joel Santana who inherited the team from compatriot, Carlos Alberto Perreira.

Nigeria had played out a respectable draw with Austria in Vienna in a tune up match for the campaign and expectations were high in all quarters that the team, which, memorably, also defeated the Rainbow Nation in its run off to its maiden appearance in the global soccer show-piece in1994, is poised to carry the day.

The South Africans, which by virtue of being the host are automatically through to the World Cup- are not having the best of time- no thanks to the hanky panky game by star player Benni Mccarthy who only confirmed his absence for the tie at the eleventh hour.
Injury to playmaker, Teko Modise also put the team to a bit of disadvantages considering an opposition of Nigeria's status.
The crowd turn out for the game played on June 1 at the Abuja National Stadium, suggested that, if support is what the Super Eagles need to be at the World Cup which they team was conspicuously absent from in 2006, it will get enough.

The game was out rightly dominated by Nigeria. In the end, headed goals by Ikechukwu Uche and Obinna Nwanneri sealed a 2-0 win to push Nigeria at par with Equatorial Guinea also took home advantage to beat Sierra Leone with an identical score line.
The next round of matches in the group were decided on June 8 as the Super eagles were guests to Sierra Leone. With Nigeria occupying the top spot for the continent in the monthly FIFA rankings, the tie was more of a banana skin assignment for the star-studded Super Eagles.

Expectations by the home team were at fever pitch as the homers were counting on their performance when the two teams last met. Incidentally, it was a World Cup qualifying game in 2001 for the Korea Japan World Cup. On that day, it was the Sierra Leoneans who triumphed 2-1, a result that led to the exit of Dutchman, Johannes Bonfrere. Amodu, interestingly, profited from that calamitous outing as he was elevated from his assistants role to the head coach. The home team enjoyed the backing of their vociferous supporters tormented the Super Eagles and it was only hard luck that saw them not scoring a lot of chances that came their way. As if getting a share of the points was not enough, a late goal by stand in skipper Joseph Yobo gave Nigeria an unlikely victory. The table at the end of the round sees Nigeria topping with six points. The South Africans salvaged their pride with a convincing 4-1 mauling of E.Giunea

After the Freetown escapades (as many critics had drubbed the dramatic way the team which was on the brink of defeat turned around the match to squeeze a priceless win), the next port of call for Nigeria was Equatorial Guinea on June 15. The match in Malabo was a bit more relaxed than the preceding one and the Super Eagles, obviously preferring the pace were less stretched. Nigerians were not made to experience the agony of waiting for late goal as Yobo's lone strike came in the early minutes of the opening half. The defender's goal further pushes Nigeria six points clear (now with nine) following Sierra Leone's victory over South Africa. Looking beyond group four, the weekend of June 13- 15 (matchday3) will go down as one of the biggest round of shocks in African football as teams regarded inferiors made permutations illogical as they dished out embarrassing results to fancied teams. African champions Egypt, Ghana and Morocco all kissed the dust while the likes of Cameroun, Coted'Ivoire and Senegal were held to unanticipated draws

Abuja was made a slaughter ground for recalcitrant Equatorial Guinean side as returnee captain Kanu Nwankwo led Nigeria to a 2-0 win with goals in each half from Yakubu Aiyegbeni and Uche. Despite having two matches on hand, just as all its other opponents the but the Super Eagles by the virtue of their immaculate record can now look up to the final round where all the top teams in the 12 groups and the best 8 runners up will be grouped into five places with the winners heading to South Africa 2010. With six goals scored-three each from the attack and defence- and none conceded, it is worthy of note that the team have at least delivered most importantly the result despite their unconvincing performances so far.

But while Nigeria continues to bask in the euphoria that saw it picked an early ticket to the Nations Cup, the same cannot be said of South Africa who are in an uncomfortable position. With the head to head rule fully applicable to the series the South Africans who has never beaten Nigeria in a competitive match must now eclipse that record if they are to be in Angola 2010. Presently, they shared an identical four points from four games with the West African group mate but are technically inferior on the log having lost a match and drawing another with the same opponent.

The performance of South Africa in recent years was so awful that bookmakers believe that they will only make up the numbers in the World Cup. The team was so ordinary that it failed to record a single goal at the Egypt 2006 Nations Cup where they lost all their three preliminary matches

Apart from the number of friendly matches the team will honour ahead of the global soccer carnival, the biennially held championship would have served as a big test in assessing the team's chances when they play host to thirty one other teams from different continents come mid 2010. South Africa's last two matches will see them entertain Nigeria, who will also be seeking their first away win against the Bafana Bafana while they are scheduled to round off the campaign as guests to Equatorial Guinea. Should Santana's wards failed to pick maximum points against the Super eagles they will still be counting on the favour of Nigeria to edged Sierra Leone in the final game provided they stepped up their game in Malabo where nothing than an outright victory will see them clinching their eight consecutive appearance in the Nation's Cup.