Nigeria 0:4 Italy Retrospective Reflection of Flamingos' Failings

With the tournament taking place yearly, one is left to wonder what happened to the bulk of last year's Flamingos team who were very impressive in the group stages, a team that won the FIFA Fair Play award in that tournament.

This year's Flamingos did not possess a single exceptional player. Okay, Moshood and Terlumun down the flanks were mildly impressive, but that was it.

I thought the 4:0 scoreline flattered Italy because the match was way more competitive than that.

Bankole's girls put pressure on the Italian defence whenever the Europeans were attempting to play it out from the back. Sadly, very poor shooting technique meant Nigeria couldn't fully capitalise on those chances.

Talking about technique, I thought this was the only difference between both sides yesterday. When the Italians had their chances at goal, superior technique meant their shots found the target, 4 times.

Nigeria equally created 4 credible chances to score, but they squandered these with efforts lacking in precision.

When it comes to actual game play, in truth, there wasn't a lot to differentiate both sides. Italy were impressive with their clever interplay of intricate passes which opened up Nigeria, but which Nigeria equally repelled with tight markings, credible interceptions and neat clearances.

Nigeria, on their part, pressured the Italians off the ball in the final third and used long balls and quick passing routines to get under the skin of the Italians.

But, as mentioned, the Flamingos failed miserably to capitalise of the chances they managed to create due to their lacking in intelligence, technique and composure needed to convert opportunities into goals.

But I enjoyed the match, yes I did. The Flamingos were focused, professional and determined which came across in how often they contained the Italians and how often they came agonisingly close to scoring.

But, you can't give what you don't have. Flair, quality, staying-power, versatility, dynamism, pitch IQ, this team lacked.

And it showed.