The Mandela triumph

Uche Nwofor

The Super Eagles put up a dismal performance in the first half of the Mandela challenge which ended goalless, but improved after the break thanks to the introduction of Victor Moses and Ahmed Musa who brought fresh impetus to the game.

According to Keshi, his decision to replace his forward line at the start of the second half after starting without Moses and Musa was to give other players the chance, and not build the team around a particular player.

South African Coach Gordon Igesund in his post match remarks after the game admitted losing to a better team while trying to defend his side’s timid approach to the game dismissing insinuations that the Eagles were bullish and physical in their approach to the game.

He was simply shy of saying that the South Africans still have a long way to go despite having Africa’s best league and a team wholly of players in the ABSA Premiership.

Keshi’s troops ruined the Nelson Mandela day for the host as they trashed the Bafana Bafana side 2-0 from Uche Nwafor who was making only his third appearance for the senior national team last week.

His first goal was an audacious back heel and the other was a simple tap in after clever work with Victor Moses and Ahmed Musa. 

Uche Nwofor at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban came in as substitute after Super Eagles returnee, Shola Ameobi, failed to make any meaningful impact in the first half.

The Dutch based striker ensured that Gordon Igesund’s men looked average for most parts of the game against the African Champions who fielded just a handful of players that featured at the continental showpiece they won in South Africa earlier in the year.

That victory also ensured that South Africa had lost its fourth straight year of hosting and losing the Nelson Mandela challenge. The team from West Africa started out stronger with John Ogu and Nnamdi Oduamadi excelling especially after capitalizing on some lax defending by Thabo Nthethe after 10 minutes as the Bloemfontein Celtic defender failed to clear a Ogenyi Onazi long ball.

Obinna Nsofor was a shadow of himself as his shot bounced awkwardly in front of the home goalkeeper, who had to block with his body.

The victory in South Africa further positions Keshi’s team on course and explore new options ahead of the crunch Malawi last group fixture for the 2014 World Cup which has charted a course of mind games between the Nigeria Football Federation and their Malawi counterparts over security concerns.

It is heartening to note that Eagles Coach, Stephen Keshi after the South Africa defeat stated that the introduction and success of the new kid on the block Uche Nwofor had ensured that the team would not be built around any individual as he re-enforced his attack and perhaps put the nail in the final appearance of embattled Super Eagles striker Osaze Odemwingie in the national team as long as Keshi is in charge.

The exploits of Uche Nwofor should put more pressure on Emmanuel Emenike in the light that he has been absent from the national team since January when the nations cup was won and search for quality strikers for the team may be yielding fruits especially after our dismal outing at the Confederations Cup and dearth of quality strikers during the world cup qualifiers against Namibia and Kenya.

For Obinna Nsofor, he has no business in the national team anymore and his slot last week was actually a waste which should have been used to expose new players especially the strike force invited from the home league.

Victor Moses once again showed why he is the darling of Nigerian football fans with his dazzling skills, passes and deft combinations with Ahmed Musa.

He brought back flair and excitement to the team and acquitted himself excellently on the field while John Ogu was simply outstanding in the midfield.

For goalkeeper Austin Ejide, I must give him thumbs up for keeping a clean slate but I keep insisting that there is so much difference between Austin Ejide and Vincent Enyeama between the sticks as the Enyeama France based goalkeeper has a greater experience in the defence line and has always remained calmed dishing out instructions to his defenders under pressure.

That is why he remains the obvious choice as Nigeria’s safest hands and the opportunity for Ejide to garner more exposure in the Mandela Challenge is a welcome development.

Though the South African side is also in a re-building process, the victory should not be diminished as we continue to impress on other countries on the continent of our dominance to quality for the world cup and win the next nations cup.

I am further impressed that the victory in South Africa last week has been pushed aside as we look forward to the bigger clash in Calabar, Cross River State on September 7.

As we await the call up of players to camp for the Malawi encounter, we must ensure that only our best players feature in that match and we must also look at the quality of players and display at the Nelson Mandela Challenge while we await the return of the big boys whose experience and depth of versatility remains vital to the success of the team including Mikel Obi, Emmanuel Emenike and Vincent Enyeama.

Rebuilding the national team for Keshi has been astormy process for him as Nigerians continue to watch him closely for instances and wrong calls, but we must commend him for the fresh air of opportunities and steadfast faith in the players he has featured especially the home based lads who have excelled.

The challenge of raising a national team remains a daunting task and each victory comes with a greater price of more expectations as we enter the crucial stages which I believe should stop all forms of experimentations.

The Nelson Mandela Challenge should serve as the final bus stop for Keshi’s experimental programme on the national team as we begin to build a strong team early in preparation for our qualification for the World Cup in Brazil next year.

For now, we must remain focused beyond the Mandela triumph and finalize all necessary challenges as we set our eyes firm to dim the Flames of Malawi next weekend. We can be sure of another victory. I can smell it. Who dares these Eagles?