Five things we learnt from Nigeria vs Algeria match

Following the 3 - 1 mauling of the Desert Foxes of Algeria by the Super Eagles of Nigeria Saturday at the Nest of Champions in Uyo, the Super Eagles have put themselves in pole position to qualify from the group of death in the ongoing 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification matches.

Sportwand took a yeoman's peep into the showdown and picked out five glaring things that we have learnt from that match.

Moses finally learning to replicate his club form for the Eagles

Victor Moses' man of the match performance on the pitch Saturday shows that the man is literally on fire.

Moses has pioneered Chelsea's resurgence in the EPL with his current form many thanks to his new role in the current Chelsea formation.

He pounced on a defensive hoodoo to finish off an attack he initiated with his direct running and dribbling to send Nigeria into an advantageous lead earlier in the match.

He also slotted in calmly at the dieing  minutes of the game to send the fans into an ecstasy. He has also upped his defensive capabilities which helped inhibit Mahrez's damage.

Conte was wrong about Mikel

Antonio Conte has not featured Mikel even in a single match since his return from the Rio Olympics where he won bronze.

This is really a shame on Conte's side following the energy we witnessed in the middle of the park and the calmness he brought to the Eagles' midfield.

The midfielder brought leadership and great combination with Etebo and Onazi to deny the star-studded Algerian midfield foothold on the ball.

Looking at the way Mikel played in that match, one would just wonder what on earth is stopping Mikel's name from being listed even on the Chelsea bench on match days.

SEE ALSO: RHOR WAS RIGHT ABOUT MIKEL

Team spirit was our match winner
The kind of team spirit that played out before and during the match was something the Eagles have not seen in along while.

We witnessed the determination of our players even from the way they marshalled out with zeal to the pitch even long before the start if every training session.

On the field of play, we witnessed that zeal and dedication that always characterized our highflying Super Eagles.

I wish the Eagles will keep up this new found love and dedication for the national team. Many thanks to Gernot Rhor.

Balogun brings consistency to our defence

Leon was a mainstay in the Eagles defence snuffing out dangers from the Algerian attack. He was handy to deny Mahrez on several occasions.

His aeriel prowess also helped steady the set pieces hoodoo we have always seen in our defence.

I think we have gotten a great pair of central defenders in Ekong and Balogun.

Rhor still needs to reconsider his goalkeeping options

With the absence of Carl Ikeme due to injury, Akpeyi was called  upon to man our post.
He did his best but a closer analysis of the match would expose his unsteadiness and shots taken from a distance were always a challenge for him.

Many thanks to our central defenders. We would have witnessed more goals against Nigeria if not for their consistency.

The Eagles turn to the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon for a back to back encounter.

Rhor was right about Mikel

Following his exploits in the Rio 2016 Olympics, the Eagles' captain and Chelsea midfielder has not seen even a minute of action in the pitch. He has not even been named on the bench on any match day.

After watching the kind of display Obi showed in midfield on Saturday, one would not but question Antonio Conte's decision to freeze out the Nigerian from his Chelsea squad.

Obi was strong in the midfield playing in an advanced role with such control and sleek passes that disorganized the Algerian defences. He even crowned it up with a goal he poached from the Algerian defence when he beat the offside trap and slotted into the back of the net with such composure as though he was taking a free kick sending the Algerian goalkeeper the wrong direction.

Little wonder Gernot Rhor cried out in the weekend that Antonio Conte is punishing Mikel for representing his fatherland in the Rio Olympics.

Tell me what else it is if not punishment. How can you explain the fact that a player who performed in such tempo as Obi Mikel played on Saturday even after not playing for such a long time is left out of the Chelsea squad not even deserving a mention on the bench.

Conte has got to take a closer look at the young man and give him more playing time in his squad.

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Five things we learnt from Zambia Match

By Ukwueze Onyedikachi

The Super Eagles of Nigeria, Saturday, defeated the Chipolopolo of Zambia in a crunch FIFA World Cup 2018 encounter right in their backyard at the Levy Nwanawasa stadium in Zambia. This feat was achieved after Nigeria’s wonderkids Alex Iwobi of Arsenal FC and Kelechi Iheanacho of Manchester City both of England tore their host apart with a goal each in the first half of the showpiece and a second half consolation from Collins Mbesuma of Zambia making it 2 – 1.

Sportswand looked into the match in an in-depth analysis  and came out with the following verdicts on the way the Super Eagles prosecuted the match and the things we expect to see in the team going forward.

Looks like we’ve gotten a replacement for Vincent Enyeama

Following the premature retirement of the Nigerian World-class goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama after a fallout with former gaffer – Sunday Oliseh, Nigerians have been concerned about who mans the goalpost for the Super Eagles with some sections of the media clamouring for the return of Vincent Enyeama to the team but with the performance of the current Super Eagles goal tender, Carl Ikeme in that Zambia match, one might as well forget about pushing for the return of Vincent Enyeama and throw all the support for the current Eagles number one.

Carl Ikeme pulled a man of the match performance for the Eagles after some strings of touchline saves. Had it not been for Carl, the Zambian captain – Kalaba would have done a lot of damage to the Super Eagles with his threatening headers and shots.

Rohr has to be more prompt and decisive with his substitutions

Looking at the performance of Moses Simon in that match, one would be tempted to question the tactical ability of the new Super Eagles manager – Gernot Rohr. Simon was off-paced and started firing blank in that match from the get go and the manager left him in the field till around the 80th minute when he was substituted with Ahmed Musa who was on the bench all along.

SEE ALSO: Is Real Madrid Suffering From Yellow Fever?

I expected Him to be substituted in the 2nd half following a shambolic first half display but Rohr could not take any action on that issue. Yes, Musa may not be getting a lot of playing time in his club but we all saw his impact when he was introduced in the later stages of the game. He could have done better if his introduction came up earlier.

Nigeria’s football future is bright

Mikel Obi, 29, was the oldest player in action for the young and energetic Super Eagles that crushed Zambia in their last match. I think Nigeria is lucky to have the Arsenal and Manchester City wonderkids- Alex Iwobi and Kelechi Iheanacho in the fold at a time like this.

The kind of talent this duo possesses is out of this world and any football manager would thank his stars for having them in his team. Looking at the performance of William Troost-Ekong also in the heart of our defense both in the Zambia match and in the just concluded Rio Olympics, one would be rest assured that we have gotten a rock in the heart of our defense and he is still young.

Iheanacho broke a long standing scoring record

The Super Eagles and Manchester City wonderkid- Kelechi Iheanacho broke the record for most consecutive goals scored in the matches involving the Super Eagles. Rashidi Yekini and Samson Siasia were the previous record holders who scored three consecutive goals in Super Eagles’ matches.
It should be recalled that Kelechi Iheanacho scored against Mali and Luxembourgh under Coach Yusuf and scored Nigeria’s lone goal against Tanzania in their last match. His last goal against Zambia makes it 4 in 4 matches for him.

Rohr has to find a balance for our shambolic defense

In a day where our defense was lacking in leadership and concentration, we were very lucky to have escaped from Zambia with a precious win, many thanks to our goalkeeper Carl Ikeme.

Zambia’s Collins Mbesuma capitalized on the blunder by Kenneth Omeruo to fire home Zambia’s only goal of the match.
Excuses can be made for Gernot Rohr who had his invitee – Leon Balogun missing in the game due to an injury he sustained in a league match with his club. But Elderson Echiejile and Wilfried Ndidi all struggled in the full back positions and this calls for an urgent work if we stand a chance against the fast-paced Algeria in the next qualifiers in Uyo.

Nigeria plays Algeria in November in the city of Uyo.

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Is Real Madrid Suffering from 'Yellow Fever'?

With the recent unpleasant outings of the Spanish LaLiga giants against Villarreal, Borrusia Dortmund of Germany and  Las Palmas all ending in an unpleasant draw for the club football giants, one would be tempted to think they are now fighting a big battle with the teams on a yellow jersey- what I call 'yellow fever'.

It will be recalled that Real Madrid played out a 1 - 1 draw with Villarreal also known as the Yellow Submarines in their week five Laliga Match. The next week saw them also playing out a 2 - 2 draw with Borrussia Dortmund of Germany flying their 'yellowness' in their second match of the group stage of the EUFA champions' league.

The week six match of the Spanish Laliga saw them also play out a 2 - 2 draw with lowly rated Las Palmas football club who was also wearing a yellow jersey.

So it now leaves us with the begging question; is Real Madrid now afraid of the yellow Jersey or is this just one of the hiccups that every high flying football club must face once in a  while?

SEE ALSO: UEFA Champions League Draw: Who will Qualify?

Part of this question was answered last Sunday when Real also played out a 1 - 1 draw with Eibar in their last match at the Spanish LA liga who dolled out a jersey in a shade of red against the world club champions.

We will keep our fingers crossed and see whether this 'yellow fever' is a one-off or a trend that has come to stay with the Spanish giants.

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UEFA Champions League Draw: Which Teams Will Qualify?

I wrote this article the next day after after the champions league draw but could not publish it due to some reasons best known to me. Now that I have unleashed it, do you think I was wrong in my permutations?

The UEFA champions league draws went down Thursday and the draw saw many permutations made as to who is going to meet who in the knockout stage of the 2016/2017 UEFA champions league season. Without much ado, let’s delve straight into the groupings and permutations while looking at which teams could make it out of the group stages into the knock out stage of the competition.

Group A

Arsenal

PSG

Basel

Ludogorets

This is a slightly closed group as we see the likes of Arsenal who has not failed to qualify for the knockout stages for almost 18years now. PSG as we know is a very strong side anytime but they just lost their talisman in the name of Zlatan Ibrahimovic; this could be a big factor. Basel on their own are not pushovers as we saw what this team could do when they face Chelsea 3 seasons ago. They could give the other two teams a run for their money.

I’m tipping Arsenal and PSG to qualify from the group with all due respect to Basel.

Group B

Benfica

Napoli

Besiktas

Dynamo Kyiv

This group is a bit balanced and not so much of talking points. Napoli is a great side but remember they just lost their goal-scoring machine – Gonzalo Higuain to Juventus. I also love the way Benfica plays so I would tip Benfica and Napoli to qualify from this group.

Group C

Barcelona

Bayern Monchengladbach

Manchester City

Celtic

This is a very interesting group considering the fact that former Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola is now the manager of Manchester city. I think he understands most of the players there and how they play. Manchester City, on their own, has seen a lot of work done on the squad and the Guardiola factor is also a big talking point here.

I think it will be an easy ride for Manchester City and Barcelona in this group.

Group D

Bayern Munich

PSV Eindhoven

Athletico Madrid

FC Rostov

This group looks a bit dicey. On paper, one would easily pick Bayern and Athletico to have a stroll in this group but we have seen PSV springing surprises in recent times. But don’t get it twisted, I can’t imagine a situation where Bayern Munich and Athletico Madrid fail to qualify for the knockout stages considering their pedigree and experience in the competition. So I’m tipping the 2 of them to make it out. 

Group E

CSKA Moscow

Tottenham

Bayern Leverkusen

Monaco

This is another balanced group and I kinda like the way this group panned out. They all look to be on the same level of strength but if I must choose, I think I will tip Tottenham and Bayern Leverkusen to make it to the knockout stages.

Group F

Sporting Lisbon

Real Madrid

Legia Warsaw

Borussia Dortmund

Of course we have heavyweights here. Real Madrid is the defending champion of the tournament so I expect them to qualify and defend the trophy they won last season. They have been consistent over a long time. They also parade a plethora of stars in the team that can demolish any side so it won’t be a big deal for them to qualify.

So I’m picking Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund from this group.

Group G

Leicester City

Club Brugge

FC Porto

FC Copenhagen

I expect FC Porto to top this group going by their exposure and experience in the competition. It also looks cheap and kind to the inexperienced Leicester City who is making their debut in the competition from the back of a fairy tale win in the popular English Premier League. The parade a number of stars in the name of Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez, not forgetting their new signing- Ahmed Musa who is well experienced in the champions league. They should be able to grind their way through to the later stages.

I think I will like to see FC Porto and Leicester City make it to the knockout stages.

Group H

Juventus

Dynamo Zagreb

Sevilla

Lyon

Like the former group, I expect Juventus to top the group. They have added the dreaded Gonzalo Higuain to their already ferocious squad and it think they are good to go. We all know what Sevilla can do going from the Europa League but Lyon is not also a pushover. They are also a very strong side and can lay claim to the second spot.

But I will pick out Juventus and Sevilla to go through to the knockout stages.

Ok! Now you have seen our own picks from the group.

What do you have say about this; Do you agree with us?

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