Izuchukwu Okosi
The Super Eagles started their quest for a fourth Africa Cup of Nations title with a heartwarming 1-0 win against seven time African champions Egypt on Tuesday and will be gunning for a place in the Round of 16 stages on Saturday when they play Sudan.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelPrime Business Africa’s Senior Correspondent IZUCHUKWU OKOSI in this feature highlights expectations from the match.
When Austin Eguavoen’s team faced Egypt, the north Africans played safe. Their game plan was obvious from the beginning.
They sat back to soak up the pressure and catch the Eagles on the counter but the Nigerians pressed well to deny them the spaces.
The Eagles must apply similar tactic today against Sudan and resist the temptation to take the opposition for granted.
Nantes forward Moses Simon had a great, possibly his best game for the national team but one area that needs to be improved in his performance are his crosses. That definitely needs Improvement.
Simon tormented the Egyptians with his movements but his final balls left much to be desired. The Nigerian team might have scored more than one goal had he been more productive.
The Eagles noticeably left spaces For Egypt to exploit In the second half on Tuesday. Thankfully that did not lead to an equaliser for Mohamed Salah and teammates.
Eguavoen and his men must avoid taking similar risks on Saturday. It may only be Sudan but Central Africa Republic came to Lagos and shocked the same Super Eagles 1-0 in a 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifier.
One cheering news from the camp is the availability of Kenneth Omeruo who will partner onfield captain William Troost-Ekong in central defence after the injury he sustained when they played Egypt. Both had arguably the best central defensive partnerships in recent memories in a national team match.
Their defending and long balls from the defensive area were magnificent. That was a common theme when coach Austin Eguavoen played for the national team many years back. It should be sustained for 90 minutes.
Finally, we hope the Nigeria Football and Other Sports Supporters Club who travelled to Cameroon in addition to the Nigerian fans living in Cameroon will be vociferous when their darling team play on Saturday evening.
There were Nigeria fans in the stands on Tuesday but their singing voices and instruments were not loud.
Perhaps, a bit more louder fan base might have inspired the players to perform better. We expect the “All we are saying, give us more goals” song today in additon to the gospel songs, trumpets and drums that inspire the Nigeria national teams.
Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
