Congo 0-2 Nigeria: Super Eagles master their own destiny

9 years ago

Congo 0-2 Nigeria: Super Eagles master their own destiny

More than most, Nigerians know that nothing is ever promised. You pay for your moments of euphoria, of contentment in exacting currency, with fear and trembling. In 2013, Nigeriawon the Africa Cup of Nations most improbably, and its citizens have been paying for that unexpected pleasure ever since.

The interest rate has been ridiculously high too, this fact best captured in a hard-fought 2-0 victory in Pointe-Noire. As if the game in itself, which featured two penalties and numerous other shouts, improbable misses and blood (literally) was not nerve-jangling enough, the home crowd went haywire after Aaron Samuel curled in the second from the edge of the box.

It was a disappointing display of lack of sportsmanship, especially considering that the Red Devils came away from Calabar with a 3-2 win in September. Then, their resolve and skills were roundly applauded by the home crowd; apparently a good turn does not always guarantee another in return.
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Not that their disappointment was hard to understand though. Through the first half, Congo were much the better side, and were guilty of wasting a number of fine chances. The lanky Fode Dore was at the heart of much of their better passages of play, but let his team down with poor finishing on two notable occasions.
The first involved a quick one-two on the edge of the box, but the CFR Cluj man dragged the effort wide after getting behind a square Nigerian defence. It was eerily similar to Congo’s second goal in September, only that time it was Almeria man Thievy Bifouma finishing off the move rather than playing the wall pass.
Bifouma was the hero in Calabar on Matchday one, but turned villain here, spurning a golden chance to level from the spot with the score at 1-0. He chose the same direction, Vincent Enyeama in goal went the same direction as Austin Ejide did in the first leg, but this time the Lille man got to it and saved comfortably.
A goal then would have really set the cat among the pigeons; only minutes prior returnee Ikechukwu Uche had dispatched a penalty into the bottom corner to the keeper’s right. Instead, the miss saw the home side’s heads drop noticeably, it was the turning point of the game.
The African champions bided their time and struck the killer blow late on through substitute Samuel. The China-based striker is fast honing a knack for scoring important goals: this one changed the dynamic of the group, edging Nigeria ahead on goals scored in matches between both teams. It was a rare piece of composure in a game that had seen the Super Eagles flustered and harassed, especially in the first period.
Stephen Keshi’s men struggled to build any kind of momentum whatsoever in that first half, failing to get their distances right either in the attacking or defensive phases. They pressed in a 4-1-4-1, but left far too much space between Hope Akpan and the two other midfielders in front: John Obi Mikel and Ogenyi Onazi. When attacking, the midfield dropped too deep to link up with the forwards and the full-backs offered very little going forward as outlets.