2022 World Cup playoff : Five observations from Super Eagles' disappointing draw vs Ghana

 

The result means Ghana went through on away goals rule after the 0-0 draw in Kumasi on Friday.

The following are the observations from the match.

1. Ghana Deserved The Ticket, Nigeria Don't

This might sound so harsh but the Black Stars of Ghana were the more hungrier team and over both legs showed that they were keen to appease their fans who were disappointed by the Africa Cup of Nations poor showing.

2. Nigeria Needs Another Good Striker In Osimhen’s Mould

The burden on Napoli striker Victor Osimhen to deliver the goals was heavy for him.

With the possible retirement of Odion Ighalo and Ahmed Musa now that the team won't be part of the World Cup, attention must shift in the team unearthing another striker or giving one of those not on the good books of the coaches a chance in the team.

Hopefully, the youth sides will qualify for the 2023 FIFA U17 and U20 World Cups in addition to the football tournament of the 2024 Olympics. This side needs a world class striker.

3. Eguavoen's Gaffe On Bassey, Lookman, Dennis

Super Eagles head coach Austin Eguavoen could have introduced the trio of Calvin Bassey, Ademola Lookman and Emmanuel Dennis into the game as they have not played a lot of football with their teammates.

Dennis has been part of the team before, making cameos off the bench, which isn't enough to create perfect bonding with his teammates.

4. Eagles Lost Possessions A Lot

The Super Eagles players lost possessions a lot and were second best in one-on-one situations. The moment the clock read 20 minutes to go and the Nigerians hadn't scored a second goal, it sank that this could be the end as the Ghanaians went defensive to protect their away goal advantage.

5. Where was the Crowd?

About 20,000 free tickets wre distributed to fans in addition to the buses made available to the teeming fans. But where was the partisan crowd their loud singing and boos for the away fans.

There was no atmosphere, the MKO Abiola Stadium was no cauldron on Tuesday and what a difference that could have made.