June 08, (THEWILL)- For the second match in a row, the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon successfully clipped the wings of the Super Eagles of Nigeria effectively holding them back from bracing their defenses.
The match which brought together the teams of Cameroon and Nigeria for the second time in less than a week came to a goalless end as both sides were unable to find the net in regulation time.
The Cameroonians dominated the match and could have more easily found the winning goal if they were less wasteful. If that was the assessment for the Lions, it was a poor showing by the high standards that have come to be expected of the Eagles, especially with the quality of footballers on the side.
Obviously, some names were missing as coach Gernot Rohr himself admitted leading up to the match, with Joe Aribo, Frank Onyeka, Samuel Kalu, Henry Onyekuru, Victor Osimhen, Simy Nwankwo and Umar Sadiq the most notable absentees, yet it was not enough to excuse the lack of quality, individual brilliance and tactics of this second friendly.
While the Lions displayed some purpose, it seemed the Eagles were content to just keep from conceding. There is the fact that it was supposed to be a match where data gathering and experimentation for assessing the best side and game plan to adapt ahead of the World Cup qualifiers in September, this was a disappointing game on its own.
What it confirms however, is that Rohr has his work cut out for him and he must recognise this himself. It is damning statistics for the German that the Eagles have only won five out of a total of 19 friendlies played under him as coach. Those are not encouraging numbers by any stretch.
The team cohesion that can make the individual bundles of talent create a collective result and bring about wins is lacking and it is his responsibility as coach to see that that happens. Nigeria will contend against Cape Verde, ranked 73rd, Central African Republic, 118th, and Liberia 151st to qualify for the World Cup in Qatar.
If they play this way, those rankings will not matter and qualification for the World Cup may be at risk. That is not what Nigerians will be willing to stomach.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
