It’s difficult to have confidence in the Super Eagles these days because of their capricious nature.
On a good day one would expect them to get a favourable result tomorrow because the chips are down but in truth, anything can happen after all, this is the same Super Eagles that lost shockingly to part-timers Central Africa Republic in September. Yes they won the return leg – as they should – but even that victory papered over cracks.
In fact all the matches played and won by the Super Eagles in this round of world cup qualifiers came with a lukewarm brand of football.
In the 1994 USA world cup, Nigeria was voted as an entertaining side to watch. In the heydays of Coach Keshi’s reign, the Super Eagles were often enterprising in their approach. These days, the Super Eagles rarely entertain and seldom show enterprise.
Through grit and with slices of luck Rohr’s Super Eagles have managed to get this far in the qualifiers despite playing football that will send someone suffering insomnia to sleep.
And when the stakes are high, this Super Eagles outfit does grind out the result with, I guess, is very reassuring.
It is has be said that not all fans share my view. There are many who watch football not from the lenses of enterprise or entertainment but purely on outcome. But even at that, some of the outcomes have been diabolical.
Diabolical or not, Nigeria qualified for the Afcon with (wait for it!) 2 games to spare, Fantastic and a round of applause! The same Super Eagles now need to defeat Cape Verde in their last match in a group of minnows to qualify for the next round of qualifiers.
And owing to recent results, the Cape Verde team are cautiously optimistic of going back home with a favourable result.
And do you blame them, if CAR could vanquish the Super Eagles at the same venue in the same qualifiers, why can’t they do the same?