Nigeria 3:1 Korea Republic - Retrospective Reflection

Anyone on the planet who told you they saw this scoreline coming is worse than Pinocchio! Nigeria defeated mighty North Korea comprehensively!

Goodness, this must be the upset of the tournament.

But, I have to be honest, I had this premonition that the Flamingos have it in them to pull a rabbit out of the hat if our coach gets his tactics right and our players apply themselves with conviction - and so it happened.

I think the scoreline should have been wider: Nigeria were denied a legitimate goal in the dying embers after Korea were gift-wrapped a penalty.

To be honest, it was a truly interesting match to watch. The Flamingos produced the sort of performance that saw them dominate the Wafu Zone B tournament last month, leaving devastation in their wake.

Okay, what worked for Nigeria?

Let's start with the starting 11. The defenders were solid (I have always said defence is this team's strongest point). The midfield was sound and the wingers were on fire. Everything came together for the team, making it a perfect starting 11.

They didn't waste time on the ball. Immediately they regain possession, they launch long balls to the wingers who got their timings, touches and trajectories right to a T! Not just long balls though; the way the midfielders used intricate passes to free off space before feeding the wingers was a joy to behold.

Anticipation was good.

The defenders often anticipated the movements and passes of the Korean and then intercepted expertly with timely tackles or ruthless clearances - never has "anywhere wey belle face" looked so beautiful whenever the Flamingos kicked a dangerous ball into the heavens.

Our defence is something else. Though Coach Busari didn't set the Flamingos to play with a back 5, however, to counter the width of the Koreans, one of our midfielders often slotted to the backline for our shape to assume a 5-2-3 arrangements. When they win the ball back, they speedily blast it up field to one of the 3 attackers who used speed, raw athletism and, it must be said, football intelligence, to cause Korean defenders no end of problems.

Our girls are supremely fit. They kept closing down the Koreans and winning 2nd balls. It's fair to say Nigeria, through sheer force of intelligent physicality, didn't allow Korea to dictate proceedings.

The team played for each other as they played with the sort of urgency the seriousness of the match deserved.

Straight from the off, Nigeria were on the front foot, going hell for leather as they hit the ground running without looking back for 90+ minutes.

The goals were beautiful.

The first, a through ball from midfield freed up the left winger who raced into the opposition 18 yard box to stab home with style, poise and grace. The second, aggressive pressure from Nigeria stole the ball from Korea before a through ball open a gaping hole in the heart of their defence whereupon our striker raced though to finish with aplomb.

The third ? Christopher Ohenhen's spirit possessed the girl who tooke the free kick and the rest was history.

I am worried, I am very worried. There was a clear blueprint from Coach Busari. This blueprint brought tremendous victory today.

But, in these days of digital football with AI analytics, opposition coaches will dissect this footprint and will seek to neutralise it in our other matches. What then will our coach do?

For now, good luck Coach Busari and the wonderful girls. We love you and you have redeemed yourselves and restored faith.

We wish you well and I hope your coach can adapt and adjust to changing circumstances.