The Super Eagles were rendered ordinary, losing 2-1 on home soil to Rwanda. And it flashed like a horror movie as an overhyped side, breaming with stars from the top leagues of Europe, was turned into a laborious outfit.
Yes, they have qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations, yet they lost their dignity. On the green field, they failed to win convincingly any of their last four matches – a goalless draw with Rwanda in Kigali and a laborious 1-0 defeat of Libya in Uyo were followed by a face-saving 1-1 draw with Benin Republic and a disgraceful 2-1 home loss to Rwanda.
It was Nigeria’s first loss to Rwanda since 2005 and happening on home soil. The build-up to those matches did not suggest that the Super Eagles had any clear intention of serious assignments ahead.
The social media space was dominated by clips and interviews concerning social issues as content providers had field days at Super Eagles camps.
The camp has always been loose, hence the porosity that impaired concentration and never suggested the magnitude of assignments at hand.
This is unimaginable in a Clemens Westerhof-managed squad. Today, a loose camp for all comers is the order of the day. The results justify the happenings.
Scavenging just a point out of available six in encounters with Rwanda does not suggest that the Super Eagles have the ability to win their remaining six matches in the World Cup qualifying series.
Two of the matches will again be against their nemesis, Rwanda. The Rwandans, leading Group C where Nigeria languishes in the fifth position out of six teams, have shown that they will be ready to inflict more pain on the Super Eagles.
After a lackadaisical approach to the Monday evening encounter with Rwanda, substitute, Samuel Chukwueze added sparks when he waltzed past a sea of Rwandan legs to fire home a goal in the 59th minute.
That ended the story. The Rwandans fought back and canceled the goal within a space of three minutes, scoring in the 72nd and 75th minutes.
Huge doubts now return on the possibility of turning fortunes around in the World Cup qualifiers.
