Reading between the lines, the Super Eagles want to finish Cameroon off within 90 minutes therefore rendering the availability of extra time redundant. This will be music to the ears of Super Eagles fans.
“What Nigerians should expect in this encounter against Cameroon is an outright win.” Said the Super Eagles media officer Babafemi Raji.
“We don’t want to go the extra mile by getting to extra-time. We just want to do justice within 90 minutes.We call on Nigerians to support us and pray for us,” he stressed.
I think many fans – even previous die hard critics of Jose Peseiro – are starting to warm to this team. Okay they have not been hugely exceptional but the discipline and organisation are there and the team appears to be moving in the right direction with purpose and intent making the dreams of lifting the Afcon ever so plausible by the day.
But more is needed if the Super Eagles are to overcome Cameroon tonight in the way of converting chances. Players like Chukwueze, Osihmen and Aribo have been singled out by some fans as needing improvements in their play. However the media chose to focus more on the interaction of players.
“Football is a team sport. We don’t look at departments or individuals in football,” stressed Raji. “We win, lose, or draw together. Against Cameroon, we will win together,” he said.
Which is true and also a noble way to look at it. But the exclusion of Nigerian players in Caf’s Group stage 11 suggests that no Nigerian players has stood out with earth shattering performances.
Individual application propels team performance which gives birth to resounding success. So we need the big guns to really come to the party tonight. If that happens then’s Raji’s ambitions of doing away with Cameroon in 90 minutes might yet be realised.