Eagles seek perfect start against Croatia in Russia
II
olusola
Super Eagles making their sixth appearance at the FIFA World Cup will kick-start their campaign this evening against star studded Croatia in Kiliningrad, Russia with only one thing in mind-victory over the Lukas Modric inspired team.
Since making their debut at the 1994 World Cup in the USA, the Super Eagles have missed only one edition which is the 2006 edition in Germany.
Although consistent in representing the continent of Africa, the three-time African champions that the legendary Pele once tipped to be the first African team to win the World Cup are yet to reach the semi-finals.
Their best have been the round of 16 recorded in 1994, 1998 and 2014 in Brazil. Consequently, expectations are high that the Eagles who were the first African country to qualify for the 2018 World Cup will better their previous records in Russia.
Despite lack-lustre showings in their last two friendly matches against England and Czech Republic, some Nigerians including the captain of the team, John Mikel Obi are optimistic that they will not disappoint their teeming fans.
As they prepare to take on Croatia this evening in Kiliningrad, it is pertinent to review the team’s opening matches at the World Cup since they debuted in 1994.
At the USA 1994 World Cup, the Super Eagles still basking in the euphoria of their triumph at the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations in Tunisia announced their arrival on football’s biggest stage with a 3-0 pounding of Bulgaria.
Rashidi Yekini, Daniel Amokachi and Emmanuel Amuneke scored a goal each to hand the Super Eagles their first World Cup victory. The Eagles were propelled by the emphatic win as they went on to beat Greece 2-0 in their final group match to qualify for the next round even after losing 2-1 to Argentina.
Four years after, the Super Eagles would have one of their historic victories at the World Cup as they opened their campaign in the 1998 World Cup in France with a shocking 2-1 victory over European giants Spain.
Headmaster, Mutiu Adepoju, Sunday Oliseh were on the score sheet with Andoni Zubizarreta scoring an own goal. Oliseh’s goal for the Super Eagles is inarguably one of the best goals scored at the World Cup.
Just as in their debut appearance in the USA, the Eagles progressed to the second round despite losing 3-1 to Paraguay in their final group match.
Their back to back victories over Bulgaria took them to the Round of 16 where they were pummelled 4-1 by Denmark to exit the World Cup in an embarrassing manner
However, things went awry for the Eagles at the 2002 World Cup jointly hosted by Japan and South Korea as they failed to win a single match. They were beaten 0-1 by Argentina in the opening game, lost 2-1 to Sweden in the second match and were forced to a 0-0 draw by England in the final group match.
Super Eagles’ only goal of the 2002 World Cup was scored by Julius Agahowa against Sweden. Thus, the Adegboye Onigbinde tutored team exited the World at the group stage for the first time since their debut in 1994.
At the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, the Super Eagles for the second time started their campaign on a shaky note as they were beaten 1-0 by their perennial rivals, Argentina and 2-1 by Greece. The Eagles managed a 0-0 draw in their final group match against South Korea but were eliminated at the group stage for the second time. Every football loving Nigerian still remembers the glorious opportunity spurned by Yakubu Aiyegbeni against South Korea.
In Brazil in 2014, the Super Eagles drew their opening match 0-0 with Iran and managed to reach the round of 16. After the draw with Iran, Eagles struggled to beat Bosnia-Herzegovina by a lone goal scored by Osaze Odemwingie who holds the record of the oldest Super Eagles player to score in the World Cup at 32 years.
Although the Eagles lost their last group match 2-3 to Argentina, they progressed to the round of 16 where they were knocked out by Paul Pogba inspired France.
In all the Super Eagles have managed to win only two opening matches at the World Cup. They have lost twice to Argentina and drawn once against Iran at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
However, this evening’s clash with Croatia which is the first time the two countries will be meeting at the World Cup offers the Eagles another opportunity to record their third opening day fixture win and a chance to progress to the round of 16 as they did at USA ’94 and France 98 where they opened their campaigns with victories.
Football pundits have since said for the Eagles to progress out of Group D in Russia, they must avoid opening day defeat against Croatia. The captain of the team, John Mikel Obi has said Croatia will be tough.
“Croatia are a fantastic team with fantastic players, but we have good players too,” Mikel was quoted as saying on ESPN.
“It’s going to be a game of tactics. We have to play our game and make sure we control the game like we always do.
“It’s going to be tough, but we know how we play and how we want to play, so we are going to have to continue playing that way.”
Speaking to SHOT! in the same vein, a former international, Garba Lawal who represented Nigeria twice at the World Cup, in 1998 and 2002 said it is not going to be an easy match for the Eagles.
“First match at the World Cup is always very difficult. Every team wants to win because they know that if they win two matches, they are already in the second round.
The Eagles must play smart against Croatia. They have to play as a team. There is no second half. This is world stage. This is where the best players in the world are meeting. The best of the best.
“There is no room for errors. Of course they are human beings and are bound to err but they must cut errors down to the barest minimum,” he advised.
Thus, as the Eagles go to battle this evening against Croatia, they will have a mountain to climb as their opponents boast of some of the best midfielders in world football. Gernot Rohr must map out a plan to neutralize the likes of Lukas Modric, Ivan Rakitic, Mario Mandzukic, Ivan Perisic, Dejan Lovren and Danjel Subasic.
On their part, the Eagles will bank on the experiences of John Mikel Obi, Victor Moses, Ahmed Musa, Kenneth Omeruo and Onazi Ogenyi to face their opponents. The five who were in Brazil in 2014 should be able to guide the debutants among them.
However, most football fans are of the opinion that the Eagles will fly high only if some of the debutants like Alex Iwobi, Wilfred Ndidi, Simeon Nwankwo, Kelechi Iheanacho, Williams Troost-Ekong and Leo Balogun come to the party in Russia beginning from today.
Undoubtedly, the key men to watch in tonight’s clash are Victor Moses of Nigeria and Lukas Modric of Croatia.
There is no room for errors. Of course they are human beings and are bound to err but they must cut errors down to the barest minimum