A cross-section of fans on Monday said they were unimpressed by the Super Eagles 1-0 win over the Wild Dogs of Guinea Bissau.
The Super Eagles claimed their pound of flesh against the Wild Dogs of Guinea Bissau right in front of their own fans with a slim 1-0 win.
The Djurtus of Guinea Bissau had put up a shocking display when they unexpectedly beat the Super Eagles 1-0 at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja March 24.
The Super Eagles, however, returned to winning ways in the 2023 African Nations Cup qualifiers with a decisive 29th minute penalty by Moses Simon for the much-needed three points.
In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), some of the fans said they were yet to be convinced by the performance of the Jose Pesseiro-tutored team, which they described as below average.
A sport journalist, Olusegun Oluesan, contended that the Super Eagles had dropped form and were far away from what the team used to be in the past.
“The Guinean side are not as good as Nigeria made them look during the first leg; the team lacked motivation and fighting spirit, no energy, no urgency in attack and Uzoho looked shaky at some point.
“The final pass accuracy, same as in the first leg, is still lacking. The blunder with crosses by the likes of Simon and chukwueze and poor shots by the likes of Alex Iwobi were discouraging.
“Imagine not scoring in open play over the two legs with the talented players we have. It was really a poor game; the only outstanding payer once again was Bright Osayi Samuel,” he said.
A fan, Dotun Oladosu, told NAN that the Super Eagles team did not look like a team that could perform if they eventually qualified for the AFCON.
“No disrespect, the Super Eagles cannot do anything in AFCON if they eventually qualify. The Super Eagles lack direction and are not playing like a team.
“This team cannot in any way compare with previous Super Eagles teams we have had in the past; imagine that we struggled to beat Guinea Bissau!
“What will happen if we eventually meet countries like Ghana, Morocco, Algeria, Egypt and Senegal when we qualify for the AFCON?
“I am sure our ranking would have dropped drastically after the shambolic display in the two matches played against Guinean Bissau,” he said.
For Sunday Agunbiade, a sports journalist with Fresh FM, the performance of the Super Eagles was a disappointment to the nation.
“Nigerians are disappointed with the performance of the Eagles; maybe not all, but for me, I am disappointed.
“For playing such a game against Guinea Bissau that is just like a local government in Lagos State, maybe Alimosho Local Government, and lacked a bite is a cause for concern.
“With the array of stars in the Super Eagles fold like Victor Osimhen, Samuel Chukwwueze, Alex Iwobi, Joe Aribo and the likes, we expect a whitewash of the Guineans.
“For Osimhen who has been painting Europe with goals, yet cannot score a single goal over the two-legged qualifiers against the minows Guineans, shows that the team lacked quality,” he said.
He was emphatic that the team did not have cohesion, which he attributed to the ineptitude of the coaching crew.
Football fans in Enugu express mixed feelings over Eagles victory against Guinea Bissau
Some football enthusiasts in Enugu State on Monday also expressed mixed feelings over the Super Eagles defeat of the Guinea Bissau 1-0 at the reverse fixture of the ongoing African Cup of Nations Qualifying.
The Eagles defeated Guinea Bissau 1-0 at the second leg of the qualifier at home after losing the first leg in Abuja with the same margin.
The win pushed the Eagles to the summit of the group A with Nine points and brightened their chances of reaching the AFCON tournament in Cote d’Ivoire.
Norbert Okolie, Rangers FC media officer and former Chairman Sports Writer’s Association of Nigeria (SWAN), Enugu, said the win did not come to him as a surprise.
“Like I said last time, the Eagles lost with the same margin in Abuja, I know the team will fly with good preparation.
“To a large extent, it has strengthened the chances of the team in qualifying to the AFCON tournament.
“My advice to the coaches, players and NFF, we have to take into cognisance that there are no more small teams in the football World.
“They have to be up and doing every time, invite players at the right time and in good condition for the players to deliver,” he said.
Ignatius Okpara, former SWAN Secretary in Enugu, however, said the present Super Eagles as constituted, was not a team that could deliver the needed result for the country.
According to him, that the team defeated Guinea Bissau 1-0 is not something we should be celebrating, because it was a narrow escape.
“From the performance of the boys, it’s obvious that they will not go far in the continental soccer competition when the time comes.
“None of the departments are fantastic, the strikers do not have enough needed bite to kiss their opponent net and they are over relying on Victor Oshimen.
“Nigeria should intensify effort in engaging a sound Technical Adviser because this present coach, José Peseiro, has nothing to offer.
“There are many sound coaches out there and Nigeria needed a good coach that can scout for good players from our Nigeria Premier Fooabll League (NPFL) to give the team much bite,” he said.
Blaise Ude, Enugu Boxing coach, said that Nigerians loved football and that the team needed to do well all the time to justify the government preferential treatment to the game.
“As for me, the current Super Eagles are not up and doing in terms of results and play and that is why I refused to watch them since the begining of the qualifying,” Ude said.
Moses Simon scored from penalty spots to give the Super Eagles victory at Estadio 24 De Setembro, Bissau.
