Onyebuchi Ezigbo
22 June 2008
Abuja — Nigeria's Super Eagles yesterday trounced their hard-fighting counterparts from Equatorial Guinea with two unreplied goals in a grueling match watched by two state governors and some 25,000 spectators.
Nigeria got the first corner kick three minutes into the game. After momentary pressure from the Super Eagles, the encounter became a ding-dong affair, with attack and ball exchanges being almost even on both sides.
The match took-off on a purposeful note with the players of both teams creating several opportunities and making in-roads at goal mouth but with weak finishing.
Within 20 minutes of the match, both teams tested each other's goal area with fierce shots.
However it was Eagles' play-maker Chinedu Odiah who almost rattled the visitors goal keeper, Danilo in the 30th minute with a sizzler of a shot that went inches off-mark.
The game went on with the Super Eagles players becoming adventurous by the minute, creating anxious moments in their opponent's goal area.
The persistent pressure from Eagles attack yielded result almost at the dot of half-time when greatly improved Yakubu Ayegbeni slammed in the curtain-raiser off a well tailored pass from the 'Man of the Match', Osaze Odemwingie.
On resumption of the second stanza of the encounter, the crowd saw an enormously improved Super Eagles play with more bit in the attack.
The Nigerian team completely out-played their Equatorial Guinean opponent with an entertaining and exciting football that sent the spectators reeling on the seats and yearning for more goals.
In what looked like an effort by the Eagles attack to get back to its glorious days , the Nwankwo, Ayegbeni, Osaze and Nsofor led attack created several anxious moments for the visiting teams forcing them to concede spots kicks.
Coach Amadu Shaibu exhibited some good judgment by bringing in Mikel for Kanu who though had a good game was fagging out towards the middle of the second half. The Coach also brought in Ikechukwu Uche for Ayegbeni to add the needed bite in the Eagles' attack.
Unarguable the one of the best latest inclusion in the Super Eagles rank, Ikechukwu became a thorn in the flesh of the Equatorial Guineans immediately he came in running riots around the opponent goal mouth.
Just at the vociferous crowd at the National Stadium, Abuja was routing for more goals for the home team, Mikel Obi sent a telegraphic pass across to the 'wonder boy Ikechukwu who despatched an on-coming defender before powering home the second goal that put paid to the dream of the ambitious Equatorial Guinean national team to run away with a mere 0 - 1 loss.
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