Nigeria’s male football team last won the gold medal of the African Games far back in 1973, when Nigeria hosted the Games in Lagos. That was 51 years ago. Not even the COJA 2003 Games held in Abuja could change the situation.
Now, the Flying Eagles have started their campaign at the ongoing 13th African Games poorly, losing 1-2 to Uganda in their opening match. The team aim to bounce back on Monday when they face South Sudan.
The Coach Ladan Bosso-led Flying Eagles encountered a setback in their Group B opener, succumbing to a 2-1 loss against Uganda at the Accra Sports Stadium in Ghana on Thursday.
A late strike by Ivan Irinimbabazi sealed the victory for Uganda, marking a strong start to their campaign. The Ugandan team took the lead in the 33rd minute when Usama Arafat capitalised on an opportunity, swiftly advancing towards the Flying Eagles’ goal area and finding the back of the net.
The Flying Eagles managed to level the score in the 37th minute thanks to Sadiq Isiyaka, who capitalized on a corner kick with a well-placed header. But Uganda clinched the victory in the 81st minute as Irinimbabazi unleashed a low shot from outside the box that eluded the Nigerian goalkeeper.
South Sudan also suffered a setback in their opening match, falling 1-0 to Senegal on Thursday. Ahead Monday’s second group match against South Sudan, Coach Bosso feels the Flying Eagles can emerge stronger from the disappointment of their opening defeat to Uganda.
After losing to Uganda at the cadet level for the first time in 12 years, Bosso assured the team is blessed with so much talent and tactically would get it right.
“We would have a positive meeting with the players, it is important that they express themselves,” Bosso said. “Logically, we would have liked to have started (the tournament) in another way, but the players are clear that there are two games ahead that could make so much difference
“Anyone has the possibility of being a starter, and I am optimistic the players know what they stand to achieve and the task ahead.
“We talked about football with the group, about how we can improve the mistakes we had and thus move on with a positive mentality. We know what we have to do in the upcoming games, which is to go out and look for victory. We are prepared for that
“For every player, being in the national team is a dream. We did not start the way we wanted, but we will continue fighting for that dream that we all have,” Bosso stated.
As expected, the defeat to Uganda has triggered mixed reactions from some Nigerians who are of the opinion that it was a wrong choice to pick Bosso as Flying Eagles coach.
“The Ladan Bosso-tutored Nigeria’s U20 team showed the world how clueless and woeful a team can be,” one sports analyst said.
“The team showed a lack of basic football skills, making the Ugadans look like super stars, as the young Hippos dominated the more heralded Nigerians in all departments, and being extremely deserving of the win.”
The Flying Eagles were the worst advertisement for Nigerian football on the continental scene, running and kicking the ball aimlessly without a noticeable playing pattern.
“These are certainly not the best legs Nigeria can boast of at that level, and their selection indicates a debased process and defies reasonableness. Ladan Bosso ostensibly doesn’t know the essence of rehearsal before a performance and trusted his coaching to make the difference during the match, whereas his Ugadan counterpart sat calmly on the bench as his charges played to the script.
“This team have nothing else but heartaches to offer Nigerians, and Bosso being optimistic despite their nauseating display means the eye-saw is the best he can offer. Otherwise, he would have called a spade by its name by lampooning the players for not playing to instructions.”
Obviously, his only instruction to them was to kick the ball into the opponents’ half. In a nutshell, the right players were not selected for this tournament, and Bosso is not the right man for the coaching job,” the analyst said.
