Nigeria defeated Zambia 2-1 in Ndola on Sunday in a World Cup qualifier. Alex Iwobi and Kelechi Iheanacho gave Eagles a 2-0 lead in the first half, before Collins Mbesuma reduced the deficit for the hosts in the second half.
Here are 10 things we learnt...
(1) NIGERIA CAN LIVE ON THIS ATTACK
There is an abundance of attacking talents in the current Eagles squad. The likes of Isaac Success, Odion Ighalo, Victor Moses, Oghenekaro Etebo and (yes) Kayode Olanrewaju were unavailable yesterday yet the team still had enough in their repertoire even affording the luxury of starting Ahmed Musa from the bench.
The current Eagles attack can score anywhere on the continent. They can really fire the team to glory.
Good to see Gernot Rohr playing up the team's strength. I can't vouch for the defending, but I'm sure this team are capable of 'outscoring' many oppositions.
(2) 'CHILDISH' MOSES SIMON
No doubt this lad has got the talent. He has got the pace. But he needs to know when to do what. That would come with more years under his belt.
He was guilty of overindulgence many times in the game. If he was more composed and purposeful, the team would have been more than two goals up in the first half.
(3) 'GENERAL' MIKEL
Skipper Mikel Obi is the General marshalling this troop. Once more, he didn't disappoint in rallying his battalion.
There were question marks about his match fitness at Chelsea, but he has been consistent in national colours recently. Somehow, now, he is the most important member of this team. He brings an entirely different ingredient to this very young team. Dem no dey buy experience for market.
(4) IWOBI, ‘NACHO COME OF AGE
A new golden generation of Eagles has been born. And just as Nwankwo KANU and Austin Okocha were the mainstay in the last golden generation, Iwobi and Nacho are the talismen of this one. With these kids' progression at big clubs like Arsenal and City, they can carry the national team's ambitions on their shoulders in the years to come. It was instructive that they were both on target. The match just showed how ready they are.
(5) EXPERIENCE QUOTIENT NEEDS TO RISE
It is quite a very young and promising team. But to reach their full potentials, the boys need a complement of a couple of experienced players. This will be necessary on bigger match days. Just as Arsene Wenger recently said; "In international football, young teams don't win big tournaments".
The likes of Vincent Enyeama and Emmanuel Emenike will make the team more solid. Carl Ikeme was marvelous but having Vincent around won't do any harm.
(6) OUR RIGHT BACK WOES CONTINUE
Since the exit of Chidi Odiah, the right back has been the team's most problematic position.
Musa Mohammed is seen as the most natural option but his inactivity at club level affected his form. Yesterday, central defender-cum-defensive midfielder Wilfred Ndidi was improvised at right back and nothing changed. He was a weak link.
(7) OMERUO'S STRUGGLES
With Leon Balogun injured, Omeruo got an opportunity to lay a claim for a place beside William Troost-Ekong in central defense but didn't do his cause any good.
A couple of gaffes which climaxed with that error that resulted in Zambia's goal meant he might not have upstaged the Ekong/Balogun pairing that got rave reviews against Tanzania.
Omeruo's international career started brightly at AFCON 2013, but he has struggled in national colours since then.
(8) GOOD OLD PROFLIGATE IDEYE
Ideye's wastefulness in front of goal is well documented. Little wonder, for a striker of his experience, he just recently notched his first career hat-trick for Olympiacos.
He was his profligate self in this game but his characteristic high work rate was on display. Emenike benefited from Ideye's selfless pattern at AFCON 2013.
The likes of Iheanacho and Iwobi will reap from this astute attacking foil called Ideye. He shouldn't be the one expected to score the goals but should help others do so.
(9) MUSA'S 'BENCH' LESSONS
A major shock in the starting XI was Moses Simon starting ahead of Ahmed Musa.
There was a need to shake up Musa and get him become more consistently productive in the national team. This move must have done exactly that. He sparked life into Eagles attack when he came on late with the hosts pushing for the equaliser. He has to win back his place...It is not guaranteed...
(10) ROHR ROARS!
Gernot Rohr is in charge. It's so painful that this Nigerian team wouldn't be at AFCON 2017. Developments under Rohr have shown the team are not actually as bad as painted. The fact is that he has consistently made his team selections bereft of sentiments, an inclination by his predecessors who have brought us to where we are today.
When some of us demanded for a foreign coach, it was because we knew the team needed a revolution under an unbiased helmsman. We knew that once selections were done on merit, the team had potentials to hit the zenith. Now, ROHR has ROARED and we have won a crucial World Cup qualifier on away soil taking the driver's seat in the group.
This NFF board made the worst possible choice of Sunday Oliseh as Eagles chief coach but they may still have made the best possible choice, this time, (Rohr).
Source: African football
