The Super Eagles of Nigeria failed to qualify for the FIFA World Cup for the second time since 1994 after playing a 1-1 draw against the Black Stars of Ghana at the MKO Abiola Stadium on Tuesday.
The 1-1 draw in Abuja meant that both legs ended in successive draws but Ghana picks the ticket on away goals rule after Nigeria were held to a goalless draw at the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi.
The two-headed tie produced a 1-1 scoreline on aggregate and to the disappointment of the supporters who turned up in Abuja to witness how the Super Eagles of Nigeria will qualify in style got hurt and it caused great damage to the Moshood Abiola Stadium.
Thomas Partey gave his side the lead early in the game and many supporters were throwing harsh words at the Super Eagles goalkeeper Francis Uzoho which does not really interpret the reason for Nigeria’s elimination.
What Went Wrong For Nigeria?
Since the retirement of Vincent Enyeama, Nigeria has been in a stateless state in the goalkeeping department.
Many have come to fill in the void left by the former Lille star, all to no avail.
From the likes of Chigozie Akpim, Ikechukwu Ezenwa, Daniel Akpeyi, and now Francis Uzoho and Maduka Okeye, none have been able to replicate the trust Enyeama got while manning the sticks for Nigeria and many will ask;
What Is Nigeria’s Main Problem In The Goalkeeping Department?
The Goalkeeper Trainer
During the restructuring of the Super Eagles technical crew, some staff was dropped while others were retained and the one that caught the eye of many was the goalkeeper trainer, Aloysius Agu who was retained.
Many will agree that the same goal that knocked Nigeria out of the Nations Cup did the same in the World Cup qualifiers on Tuesday.
Maduka Okoye conceded what was a cheap long-range strike against Tunisia and Uzoho conceded the same against Ghana.
This weakness means it does not lie in the two goalkeepers but in the goalkeepers’ trainer.
Mr. Aloysius Agu failed to do his homework after the Super Eagles were eliminated in Cameroon and also had the same against Ghana.
Poor Recruitment Of Goalkeepers
Nigeria has lacked a stable goalkeeper in recent times and it should be the duty of the goalkeeper trainer to fetch out a goalkeeper, be it locally or internationally to help settle this mess for Nigeria.
But instead of looking for good hands in the country, they gamble and pick keepers they know will have nothing to contribute to the team.
Lack Of Nigeria’s Preparation
In the 2016 UEFA Champions League, Barcelona lost 4-0 to PSG in the first leg but returned to Nou Camp to beat the Parisians 6-1 and qualified.
What was the major thing that helped Barcelona win the game were the ball boys.
They were given a proper induction on how to handle the game since they have a major role to play.
This never happened in Abuja on Tuesday, Nigerian players were even looking for balls when they have throw-ins and won’t find them which was one of the reasons Ghana had time to settle and they can’t have the winning goal they needed.
Lack Of Urgency
With a team looking for a victory after conceding first, Nigeria would have used the home advantage and pressed higher up the pitch and gotten what they wanted.
But the reverse was the case as Ghana at times played with more intent than the Super Eagles.
Worst Substitution Ruin Nigeria’s Qualification
With a team needing a goal at all cost, Nigeria would have been looking for a substitution that will boost their chances of going forward, but they did the opposite.
Brentford midfielder Frank Onyeka was injured in the closing stages of the first half, with Oghenekaro Etebo and Joe Aribo already on the field as holding midfielders, it was time to change formation and bring in an attacker to join Osimhen up front and play with two holding midfielders.
But Eguavoen instead brought in Shehu Abdullahi whose best position is the right-back and played him in the middle of the pack which gave Ghanaians the edge over Nigeria in midfield as they dominated the ball and had time to settle.
Bringing on Ighalo, Sadiq, Musa in the closing minutes of the game showed timeless and meaningless substitutions as it had no effect on the game.
Nigeria’s coach had a nice lineup, bringing in Lookman who won the penalty for the side, Emmanuel Dennis, Calvin Bassey, and Frank Onyeka, but he deployed the wrong approach to the game.
Nigeria played like they have qualified already even when they needed more goals before they could seal their ticket.
The Super Eagles will not be in Qatar for the World Cup and this will happen for the first time since they missed out on Germany’s 2006 World Cup.
