Road to Rio: Nigeria searching for right mix

Nigeria has qualified for five of the last six World Cups. (Sunday Alamba/AP)

Dignitaries from all over the world will gather in Brazil in early December for the FIFA World Cup draw as the field of teams is divided into groups for next summer’s festivities. As part of its “32 teams in 32 days” series, SPORTSNET.CA will profile each of the nations set to compete at Brazil, leading up to the draw on Dec. 6.

It’s difficult to condemn coach Stephen Keshi’s decision to make radical changes within the Super Eagles se-up. Proven regulars have been forced into the wilderness, most notably Taye Taiwo, John Utaka and Peter Odemwingie. It doesn’t end there—other absentees include former captain Joseph Yobo and well-known strikers Yakubu Aiyegbeni and Obafemi Martins (both tops among the list of active scorers). The reigning African Cup of Nations champions had an easy route to Brazil, but the competition that awaits Nigeria is vastly superior to what they’ve faced in qualifying.


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How they got here: Runaway group winners, the Super Eagles finished with an undefeated record in the second round of African qualification (three wins and three draws). It’s rather surprising they didn’t finish a perfect six for six considering their opponents had an average FIFA ranking of 123—Kenya 118th, Malawi 124th and Namibia 128th. Next in line was a playoff date with 95th ranked Ethiopia, which ended 4-1 on aggregate, and confirmed Nigeria as the first African nation to qualify for next summer’s tournament.

Key result: Emmanuel Emineke’s second-half brace gave the Super Eagles a 2-1 victory at Ethiopia’s Addis Ababa Stadium after the host took the lead. It provided a sizeable advantage heading into the second leg in Calabar, as Nigeria haven’t tasted defeat at UJ Esuene Stadium in 33 years. Fast forward a month, Victor Moses scored on a controversial penalty in the first half, and Victor Obbina sealed it with a quickly-taken free kick with eight minutes left of normal time, sending the home supporters into a frenzy.

Star player: Emmanuel Emineke has catapulted himself into being known as a clutch performer for the Super Eagles. The 26 year-old Fenerbahce striker was a key contributor in the journey leading up to Nigeria’s third AFCON title. Unfortunately, Emenike missed out on the final due to injury, though, he was named to the team of the tournament and also finished as top-scorer. Emenike has proven to be a consistent and reliable commodity for Keshi’s Nigerian football revolution.

Player on the bubble: Since receiving his first call-up at the beginning of 2011, Shola Ameobi has only managed a handful of appearances for the Super Eagles, and is a long shot at making the final roster headed to Brazil. At 32 years of age, this will be the veteran striker’s last chance, and given his limited minutes for Newcastle United this season, it’s doubtful. However, Ameobi put together an impressive performance in Nigeria’s most recent friendly against Italy (2-2), scoring a goal and adding an assist in just over an hour of playing time.

Team strengths: Let’s be honest, Nigeria did enough to make it to the party, but just barely. Nothing really stands out from their performances that suggest they’ll be anything more than grateful participants in Brazil. Surprisingly, defending was a position of focus, as the Nigerians conceded only four goals in eight qualifying matches. For all their blandness, the Super Eagles have enjoyed a successful year, which has restored belief in their abilities and the possibility of turning some heads.

Team weaknesses: The most important first step is to make a decision on a core group to build around. I get the need to experiment, but it’s getting a bit out of hand. Keshi has run the gauntlet with call-ups—over 60 in the last year alone—trying to find the right mix of players. The importance of cohesion and developing team chemistry is rule number one. You run the risk of preventable embarrassment to a global audience by walking into the lion’s den unprepared.

World Cup record:
1930 to 1958—Did not enter
1962—Did not qualify
1966—Withdrew
1970 to 1990—Did not qualify
1994—Second round
1998—Second round
2002—First round
2006—Did not qualify
2010— First round


Team profiles: Algeria | Argentina | Australia | Belgium | Bosnia and Herzegovina | Cameroon | Chile | Costa Rica | Colombia | Croatia | Ecuador | England| Germany | Ghana | Greece | Honduras | Iran | Italy | Ivory Coast | Japan | Mexico | The Netherlands | Nigeria | Portugal | Russia | South Korea | Spain | Switzerland | United States | Uruguay


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