Super Eagles’ 2-0 win over Liberia leaves fans divided on chances of success

Football fans have expressed mixed feelings over the chances of the Super Eagles in the upcoming Qatar FIFA World Cup, in spite of the 2-0 victory over the Lone Star of Liberia during their Qatar 2022 World Cup qualifying match.

The Voice Media Trust (VMT NEWS) recalled that Nigeria got their campaign for a seventh FIFA World Cup finals appearance off to a bright start with a 2-0 win over Liberia in wet conditions, in Lagos, on Friday.

England –based Kelechi Iheanacho netted a first half brace that took some of the fight out of the resilient Lone Stars, but never put them in depression at the Teslim Balogun Stadium.

The win saw the Eagles leap to the top of Group C of the African campaign, with Central African Republic and Cape Verde having battled to a 1-1 draw in Douala, on Wednesday.

Read Also: Arson: Nigerians in S/Africa urge govt to fulfill promises of…

However, a cross-section of football enthusiasts who spoke to VMT NEWS in separate interviews noted that even though the team did not put up a superlative performance, what mattered at the end of the day was that they won.

Gbenga Elegbeleye, the former Director-General of the defunct National Sports Commission (NSC), praised the Super Eagles for the win, adding that he was confident the team would qualify for the world cup.

“Great. The most important thing is the three points and that we are also on top of our group.

“I’m very sure the Super Eagles will be in Qatar. Congratulations to the boys, kudos to Iheanacho for scoring a brace and congratulations to Nigeria,” he said.

Tajudeen Akinyemi, the Chairman of the Ondo State Football Association (ODSFA), said it was a convincing and important win for the Eagles even though they didn’t play well as a team.

“It was a 2-0 win. Liberians made no threat, though; their possession was good in the midfield, intensity for both teams was very poor.

“It could have been 6-0, but the Eagles weren’t effective. There was no coordination but by and large we won convincingly.

“Iheanacho made the day for us as an experienced player. The second goal was too beautiful, the placement was heart touching,” he said.

The former President of the Nigeria Professional Football League side, Sunshine Stars Football Club of Akure, noted that Nigeria stood a better chance of qualifying for the world cup with more of such easy matches.

“We started our World Cup journey in a simple way. Our back four were on holiday and the keeper too.

“If this is the way other matches are going to be, Nigeria will definitely qualify for 2022 World Cup. God bless Nigeria,” he said.

Godwin Bamigboye, former Chairman of FCT Football Coaches Association, said the Super Eagles was still a work in progress with a lot of young individual talents, adding that the future was bright for the team.

“My general assessment of the Super Eagles is that it is a team that is being built and in the process of blending to really get to where it should be.

“Potentially, the Super Eagles are a solid team in the making, what remains is in the aspect of bonding and blending as one indivisible unit, which is very important.

“Individually, I can see players that have the qualities, but they are yet to hit the zenith as a team.

“Knowing fully well that the team is made up of young players, the future is bright for the Super Eagles,” he said.

The former Chairman, Technical Committee, FCT Football Association, however, stressed that the handlers had a job to do to ensure that the team met the required standard expected of them, to be able to compete with the very best teams in the world.

“This is not to say that the Lone Star of Liberia are pushovers, but when we come up against tougher oppositions how will the team fare?

“However, I think with a higher opposition we might see a better game from the Super Eagles. One thing again the team need to work on is their ability to score more goals.

” Yes, Iheanacho scored a brace which is commendable, but I expected other strikers in the team to also play their own role in order to complement the goals Iheanacho scored.

“I expected at least four goals in the game but I also want to commend the team for not conceding any as well.

“The fear I usually have about the team is that when they score a goal the opponent more often than not equalise and sometimes end up carrying the day,” he said.

He, however, pointed out that what mattered at the end of the day was that the team won and have the needed three points in the bag ahead of their next game.

“The team won after all said and done, whether it was by a lone goal or two, all that doesn’t matter at this point.

“Having said that, I think Coach Gernot Rohr by now should be sure of the players in specific positions because from what I saw in the game it seems like he is still experimenting with some of the players.

“So, I will advice that he experiments with friendly matches rather than doing that in very important and competitive matches.

“When it gets to serious matches such as World Cup qualifiers, we must play the right players in their right positions and present a team that is well blended and solid,” he said.

The Eagles will now fly out of Lagos in the early hours of Monday to the island of Mindelo, where they play Cape Verde’s Blue Sharks in a Day two encounter on Tuesday.