It was an intense match yesterday as Super Eagles played host to Sierra Leone in the first leg of the AFCON qualifier. The match which took place at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin saw both sides go home with one point following their 4-4 draw. Nigeria took the early lead with the Everton player, Alex Iwobi, opening the scoring in the 4th minutes. Subsequent goals from Victor Osimehen, Alex Iwobi, and Samuel Chukwueze gave Nigeria a 4-0 clear lead in the 29th minutes.
It was particularly shocking for Nigerian sports lovers when Sierra Leone managed to pull a comeback and eventually held Nigeria to a 4-4 draw. Goals from Kuamme (41′), Kamara (72′), and late strikes from both Mustapha and Kamara were enough to save Sierra Leone from a big loss that would have stalled their qualification into the AFCON tournament.
Following the outcome of the match, fans and analysts alike have berated the Super Eagles coach Gernort Rohr. Many have faulted his poor game plan to maintain a sustainable lead which altogether brought about the tie. While the game was still ongoing, a fan identified as Gullah queried, ‘how do you go from 4-0 to 4-3?’
Another fan blasted the Eagles coach insisting that, ‘as long as your coach is Rohr you’ll continue watching stupid matches even if Ronaldo is in your team. No single team work. And wrong substitutions. Very nonsense coach.’
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In the light of this, fans have called for the immediate sack of the coach who they feel has failed woefully since his position as manager. While some have ridiculously described him as clueless, others have said as a foreign coach he has no basic understanding in the handling of the boys and should as such be fired.
Interestingly, a few attributed the 4-4 draw to the ill-luck of the stadium. They revealed that matches that have been played in the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium always end in a draw. For instance, the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium last hosted a game on November 2011 when the Super Eagles were held to a goalless draw in a friendly with Botswana. The Super Eagles were also held to a draw against Austria this month. And like a fan said, ‘so far we keep playing at this Benin Stadium we will keep playing draws’.
The Super Eagles top Group L with seven points following victories against Benin and Lesotho alongside the recent tie with the Leone Stars of Sierra Leone. Nigeria has however won more games than Sierra Leone in their 14-time head to head. In this meeting, the Super Eagles have won nine games (1961, 1968, 1976, 1977, 1987, 2000, 2008, 2011). The team has lost two (1987, 2000) and drawn four (1976, 1977, 1979, 2020).
Nelson Okoh
Picture Credit: BrillaFM, SportsMode, Leadership, Paradise