A 1-1 draw with Lesotho in Uyo set the pace for an abysmal qualifying series, one that will indeed go down in history as one of the most shocking misses for the Super Eagles.
Then head coach of the Lesotho senior national team, Leslie Notsi, in an exclusive interview with me, said clearly that they were in Nigeria just to give a good account of themselves and ensure they were not embarrassed by the scoreline.
Game day, however, came with a different kettle of fish. The lowly footballing nation could not believe their luck when they went ahead in the 55th minute from a poorly defended corner kick that left Francis Uzoho stranded. Semi Ajayi’s equaliser in the 65th minute saved face for the Super Eagles, but the trend of waiting to concede stayed etched in the team’s DNA and became a major feature of the next two games.
Zimbabwe Horror Fest
Jose Peseiro took a deflated Super Eagles team to Butare, Rwanda, for the second group game, a date with Zimbabwe. Walter Musona broke the deadlock in the 26th minute, smashing a piledriver from over 30 yards to beat a bewildered Francis Uzoho in goal. Nigeria fought their way back to a point, with Kelechi Iheanacho stepping up in the 67th minute to restore parity.
World Cup qualifying was interrupted by an amazing African Cup of Nations tournament in Ivory Coast for the Super Eagles, with Nigeria losing the final 2-1 to the hosts, followed by the eventual departure of the divisive Jose Peseiro, whose tenure split opinions among Nigerian football fans.
Finidi GeorgeTakes The Mantle
Peseiro’s departure saw the appointment of Finidi George, Nigerian football legend and Nigerian league title-winning coach with Enyimba International of Aba. His first assignment was navigating a home tie with the Bafana Bafana of South Africa in Uyo. Themba Zwane danced past three Nigerian defenders before firing past a hapless Stanley Nwabali in goal, continuing Nigeria’s trend of constantly going behind in games and fighting their way back to a measly point.
Fisayo Dele-Bashiru kept to tradition, bullying his man in the box and firing into the bottom corner to restore parity, earn a point for Nigeria and ensure all three qualifying games played ended in 1-1 draws.
A visit to Gernot Rohr’s Benin Republic and the eventual defeat finally signalled panic to the Nigerian Football Federation and the Nigerian populace, who realised that the Super Eagles were well on their way to a second World Cup miss.
Raphael Onyedika put Nigeria ahead before goals from Jodel Dossou and Steve Mounie condemned Nigeria to their first defeat and opened the #FinidiHateGate locally.
Austin Eguavoen and his short AFCON qualifying spell interrupted the qualifying series again and offered Nigerian fans respite from abysmal results. He saw Nigeria through qualification for AFCON in Morocco with flying colours but ultimately returned to his technical director role at the Nigerian Football Federation, paving the way for the appointment of Eric Sékou Chelle.
The Little Known Malian, Eric Chelle
A 2-0 win over Rwanda in Kigali raised Nigerian hearts and hopes for a turnaround in World Cup qualifying fortunes. Eric Chelle’s team flew out of the blocks in Kigali, with Victor Osimhen celebrating his first game in the qualifying series with a brace that confounded the Amavubi and stunned the stadium into silence.
This result, and the cloud of a possible points deduction hanging over South Africa, meant that at this stage of qualifying, if Nigeria won all their remaining games, or if several other combinations of factors fell into place, Nigeria could still comfortably top the qualifying group.
That hope, however, was cut in half by a late strike from Zimbabwe in Uyo. Victor Osimhen put Nigeria ahead with his third goal in two qualifying games in the 74th minute before suspect game management by Eric Chelle, coupled with tired defending, allowed Zimbabwe’s Tawanda Chirewa to equalise in the 90th minute, sending Victor Osimhen’s head into his palms on the bench and kickstarting a tirade that ultimately led to him walking out on the end-of-game prayers.
A 1-0 win over Rwanda in September kept Nigeria within touching distance of the top, but our fate was not in their hands. Tolu Arokodare gave Nigeria all three points just six minutes after the restart to make fans believe the World Cup was still a possibility as they headed to South Africa to take on Bafana Bafana.
Facing South Africa
The game against group leaders South Africa presented Nigeria with another breakthrough moment to take control of the group. A win at the Free State Stadium would have helped Nigeria leapfrog South Africa after the points deductions, but both teams played out a 1-1 draw, leaving all to play for in the last two games of the qualifying series.
Nigeria’s penultimate game was away to Lesotho, while South Africa travelled to Zimbabwe. Nigeria won the encounter 2-1 while, surprisingly, Zimbabwe held South Africa to a goalless draw, throwing a lifeline to Benin Republic, who won away in Kigali and just needed to avoid defeat in Uyo (or preferably win) to seal their place at the FIFA World Cup.
Neighbourly love was thrown out the window in this encounter between Nigeria and Benin Republic. A Victor Osimhen hat-trick dispelled any illusions Gernot Rohr’s men had coming into the encounter. Nigeria ran away 4-0 winners, with Frank Onyeka providing the icing on the cake to seal the victory in grand style.
South Africa would go on to win 3-0 against Rwanda and seal their automatic place at the World Cup, while Nigeria were condemned to another round of playoffs.
The Playoffs: Nigeria’s Last Hope
The FIFA Africa playoff was staged in Morocco between the four best-placed teams: Gabon, Cameroon, DR Congo and Nigeria, with Nigeria’s fortuitous inclusion only coming about because of Eritrea’s withdrawal from Group E, which led to a change in the rules for determining the four best-placed teams.
Nigeria needed extra time against Gabon to make it past the Panthers. Akor Adams opened the scoring in the 78th minute before Mario Lemina equalised in the 89th minute to force extra time. Victor Osimhen commandeered extra time, scoring a brace before Chidera Ejuke completed the scoring, with Nigeria running away 4-1 victors.
DR Congo, on the other hand, scored a dying-minute winner against Cameroon to book their place in the playoff final against Nigeria.
Frank Onyeka put Nigeria ahead in the second minute of the playoff final before DR Congo’s Meschack Elia restored parity in the 31st minute. DR Congo took control of the game in the second half, deploying two press-resistant midfielders, running rings around Nigeria’s midfield and choking the space in attacking areas for Nigeria.
Ultimately, Nigeria were lucky to force the game to penalties, but DR Congo held their nerve and ran away 4-3 victors, ending Nigeria’s World Cup qualifying hopes.
The Super Eagles of Nigeria had several opportunities to grab the World Cup ticket and had a very good team on paper to do it. The absence of Victor Osimhen for the first four games played a major role in the initial four draws, but taking that stance makes a joke of the quality Nigeria still paraded in every game.
It was a cluster of failures, and I hope we learn as we enjoy (read as hate-watch South Africa) the World Cup from our couches in +234. South Africa’s terrible showing against Mexico in their World Cup opener, reminds Nigerians that a team that bad, got the sole group ticket over a star studded Nigerian side, begging the question, are the Super Eagles are a team or a group of talented individuals?
