Expectations were high before the match. Nigerians eagerly awaited Stephen Keshi’s first competitive match. Rwandans hoped for a surprise but were more in large numbers to watch the Nigerian stars that they see on supersport. Yakubu Aiyegbeni, Jo seph Yobo and Osaze Odenwegie were among the Nigerian stars they admire on television.
They expected so much thrills from the Nigerian team but banked on the underdog element of surprise to shock the Eagles. They almost did. Militi Mitchio, their Serbian coach had given them hope.
And in Nigeria the new Eagles coach and his crew had started building a new national team to accommodate home-based players who, for years now, had no place in the Eagles.
After holding Nations Cup-bound Angola to a scoreless draw in Abuja they went on to beat Liberia 2-0 in another international friendly.
The local boys impressed in the matches and when Keshi had to invite players for the Nations Cup qualifier he invited 11 pros and 11 local players.
Throughout the training sessions Keshi and his crew confided in close friends that the team that beat Liberia could beat Rwanda but said that a combination of local and foreign-based players would be fielded. Keshi left the pitch in Kigali with a broader picture of what his team should be like and play like.
He could not have fielded an all home-based team when the likes of Ike Uche, Yakubu Aiyegbeni, Dickson Etuhu, Taiye Taiwo, Joel Obi, Ahmed Musa, Joseph Yobo, Vincent Enyeama and Sani Kaita were in the team. It would have been termed a gamble. But after 90 minutes in Kigali, fielding 70 to 80 per cent of local players would no longer be a gamble but the right thing. This is the true statement from the match in Kigali.
“I’ve seen everything now and I know that every disappointment could be a blessing,” Keshi said about their performance. On getting to their Umumbano Hotel, Keshi and his crew quickly went into a long meeting to review the match that ended scoreless but which the Rwandans were unlucky not to have won. Rwanda grew in confidence after Eagles failed to stamp authority. They missed chances.
Keshi did not mention names after the meeting but it was certain that in his time as coach of the Eagles the likes of Taiye Taiwo, Yakubu Aiyegbeni , Dickson Etuhu and Osaze Odewengie played their last match for Nigeria in Kigali. The same decision may also hang on the likes of Joel Obi who may have to show extraordinary performance in their clubs to justify any invitation especially in African qualifiers.
Two reasons are behind this. African football is different and players who lack commitment and the ruggedness of its game will continue to disappoint in Africa as some Eagles players have shown in many of their outings. The second reason is that Keshi has found the quality in some local players.
In the first half Rwanda had bagged four yellow cards and would not want any expulsion. The referee even made to issue a second yellow card to Mugrneza Jean Baptiste but on realising it would end in a red he withdrew his hand from the pocket. But Eagles could not capitalise on this.
Etuhu seemed to have vowed never to put pressure on them. All his passes went behind or sideways even when there were spaces to attack in front. Joel Obi was not impressive either and Nigeria suffered in the midfield. It was also terrible in the attack. Ahmed Musa could not lift his game from the right side of the attack. Osaze Odewengie and Yakubu Aiyegbeni who paired in the central attack struggled, ran for the balls but did nothing with them. The midfield play of Joel and Etuhu did not also help matters.
The only incisive play came from Ejike Uzoenyi, the left midfielder from Rangers and Victor Moses who came in for Ahmed Musa. Uzoenyi dazzled, easily slicing through the Rwandans and tormenting them. Two times he came close to scoring and many times he laid precise passes to his teammates in such a manner that Joel Obi was signalling to others to send balls to the Enugu Rangers player.
The injury he suffered in one moment he dropped to defend slowed him down in the late minutes when he was stretchered out but later returned as Nigeria had completed their three changes.
Even with injury and limping Uzoenyi controlled the ball well, dribbled and passed it well. Azubike, of Warri Wolves, Godfrey Oboabona Itama, Vincent Enyeama and Yobo were excellent in the defence but had Keshi not changed Dickson and brought in Reuben Gabriel from Kano Pillars it would have probably been a sad story for Nigeria.
“I now know more and what I can only tell Nigerians is to watch out. We’ll not disappoint them. There are players who we need to build our team around. Those players are at home,” Keshi said.
Some other officials confirmed that Osaze, Yakubu, Etuhu and Taiye are among those who may be allowed to concentrate at their clubs for now.
No comments:
Post a Comment