I am yet to come to terms with Nigeria’s defeat of the topmost footballing nation on the continent in Sunday evening’s African Cup of Nations quarter-final.

Looking back again, I never envisaged a game in which Nigeria would dominate the mighty Elephants of Ivory Coast. Neither did the majority of soccer followers all over the world give them a chance against the tournament favourite.

As the Eagles trooped onto the pitch to celebrate at the blast of the final whistle, the ‘big boss” celebrated with his hands in the air, somewhat depicting a man whose words were acted out on the pitch to perfection. To think that we dominated the mighty Ivoirians made the victory not only surprising but pleasing to the Nigerian populace. That the Eagles flew so high to topple the mighty Elephants is a scene that has not been witnessed in a long time.

The last time I saw a majestic Eagles team was coincidentally in the quarter finals against Cameroun years back, when Jay-Jay Okocha (who incidentally was in South Africa to cheer the players on) masterminded a determined Nigerian side to a 2-1 victory in Tunisia. This was a totally tactical victory that reminded me of Mourinho’s Inter Milan’s plotting of Barcelona’s fall in a technically induced 3-1 victory at San Siro on their way to UEFA Champions League triumph.

The Eagles’ performance was flawless, as they engineered a perfect game. As I predicted, the Nigerian wingers orchestrated the fall of the Ivoirians with the exploitation of the spaces left by the attacking full backs while the goalkeeper didn’t cover himself in glory.

Personnel-wise, Vincent Enyeama led from the back, Elderson Ichiejile played energetically like he does for Benfica, Efe Ambrose showed his versatility and (surprisingly) dribbling skills, while the midfield trio did not contest any battle in the midfield but directed passes to the wings. The duo of Victor Moses and Emmanuel Emenike almost perfectly worked the spaces left by attacking forays of Eboue and Tiene, while Brown Ideye gave Zokora and Bamba a torrid day in office.

Kudos must go to Stephen Keshi, as he finally showed his tactical acumen by utilising his best weapons, working on the Ivoirians’ weaknesses and deflating their attacking arsenal. Gervinho and Salomon Kalou were silenced, the midfield trio of Yaya Toure, Romaric and Tiote were bypassed, while Drogba was not given too much space to operate.

The presence of Eminike on the wings was a masterstroke from Keshi, who left Musa on the bench. Eminike repaid the faith by tormenting the Ivoirian defence throughout the match with his power and pace, and striking a thunderous shot for the first goal. Even when the Ivoirians equalised, the Eagles kept their heads up and stuck to the original game plan with palpable determination, which culminated in the second and winning goal.

Nights like this make Nigerian soccer faithful and optimists believe that if these Super Eagles can overcome a tricky but equally tactical and determined Malian side, the Nation’s cup will be ours to lose. Who knows, the “big boss” may already have another “game plan” for the Malians (Unless, maybe, the presidency has signed an MOU with the Malian nation to allow us an easy pass). Go Super Eagles!!!

http://www.flairng.com/index.php/sports/item/299-and-the-eagles-soared-higher-than-the-world