BEVERLY HILLS, March 30, (THEWILL) – The Super Eagles of Nigeria on the grounds of the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Surulere, Lagos, concluded the qualification series of the 2022 TOTAL African Cup of Nations Group L fixtures with their unbeaten streak maintained in all six matches played.
Even with qualification secured, the senior men’s national football team of Nigeria put in a good shift to restrain the Crocodiles of Lesotho with a very comfortable display to wrap up proceedings with a 3-0 triumph over the bottom team from the south of Africa.
Napoli’s striker, Victor Osimhen’s Man of the Match performance was capped by his goal, which broke the deadlock of the game in the 27th minute after his 16th minute attempt was ruled offside. The forward, who dislocated his shoulder during the last international play for Nigeria against the Leone Stars of Sierra Leone in Benin City, was a constant threat, peppering the Lesotho defence with darting runs and brilliant football.
With the socially-distanced crowd cheering them on, the hosts were reminded of the danger posed by the Crocodiles when the visitors had the ball in the Nigerian net one minute after the half-hour mark. Fortunately, the match officials spotted the offside and the goal did not stand.
After the interval, Osimhen, who had benefitted from a Kelechi Iheanacho pass for his goal, provided some brilliant hold-up play that set up Oghenekaro Etebo to double the Super Eagles’ lead 10 minutes before the hour mark. The Nigerian coach decided to juggle his players and made some substitutions.
One of those who gave way was Osimhen. The Napoli man’s contribution to the success of the team in these qualifying games has been immense. His five goals in the five games he played were only matched by his five assists for a total goal involvement of 10 to make him the overall best player in the side. The only match he missed because of his injured shoulder turned out to be the disappointingly drab goalless draw in Freetown against Sierra Leone.
Rohr introduced another red-hot, in-form goal machine in Paul Onuachu, the highest goal scorer of the Belgian League, for his second appearance in the Super Eagles jersey in the 76th minute.
And, the substitute with the decisive goal against the Squirrels of Benin, did what he did best again against the Crocodiles.
Onuachu produced a stylish volley from the box into the net in the 83rd minute to make it three for Nigeria, and two in two matches for him. And, he had only been on the pitch for seven minutes before he delivered the goods.
Another 76th minute introduction was Alex Iwobi, winger for the English Premier League side Everton, who was subject of a COVID-19 scare ahead of the previous match against Benin, but who was given a clean bill of health by a second, more reliable, test and allowed to feature. He made some good runs with the opportunities that came his way when he was subbed on.
The Leicester City target man Iheanacho, who scuppered up the assist for Osimhen’s goal, was a cause of worry for the Crocodiles. As the man behind the advanced forward line, he concocted the distribution and made some inroads into attack but did not make it into the scoresheet.
However, keeping a clean sheet in the last game was a collective effort. The encouragement from the stands fed the team with the zeal to perform and they delivered a united result. Even the goalkeeper, Francis Uzoho, had to have his wits about him at every point he was called into action. However, plaudits must go to the inspired combination of Leicester City’s midfield generalissimo Wilfred Ndidi and Galatasaray’s Oghenekaro Etebo who commandeered everything finely from the middle of the park.
It was an overall encouraging performance and a beautiful result to commemorate the return of the national team to Lagos after their 20-year absence. It was also a concrete marker for what to expect of the side, as they build on their cohesion as a functional unit with coordinated parts that cooperate to get results ahead of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers, which is their next port of call.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
