What does these Eagles worth?
…After 1994 World Cup, Nigeria has yet to produce a formidable side in terms of strength and personalities
By GBOLAHAN DADA
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
The current Super Eagles’ squad are skillful and talented, but they are no longer the wonderful dream-team-like kind of a side Eagles were in 1994.
Exceptional players like Daniel Amokachi, Rashidi Yekini, Austin Jay Jay Okocha, Emmanuel Amuneke, and Victor Ikpeba are no longer in the team. The general belief is that the current Super Eagles are no longer super. But there is still a lot of respect for Nigeria all over the world. Everybody says that Nigeria is still a force in the international football circle.
In the 90s, Nigerian players were jewels of European clubs. They were outstanding in their clubs and in the national team. Then, Super Eagles’ coaches never had much stress in selecting a formidable team.
A comparative analysis of the Eagles of 1994 and the current squad shows that there are a lot to be done for the 2010 World Cup squad to re-enact the quality and skills of our past heroes.
In terms of remuneration, the current squad earn better wages than the 1994 Eagles, who were more skillful and highly rated.
Clemence Westerhof, who is commonly considered as the best coach to have ever led Nigeria, managed the 1994 squad. The squad topped their group, which included Argentina, Bulgaria and Greece at the World Cup.
In their first game, Nigeria defeated Bulgaria 3–0, lost to Argentina 1–2 and qualified for the second round after a 2–0 victory over Greece.
In the second round, Nigeria played Italy and took the lead with a goal from Amuneke at 25minutes. Nigeria were within one minute to qualifying for the quarterfinals of 1994 World Cup in the game, but Roberto Baggio scored to take the game to extra time. He also scored the eventual winning goal against Nigeria.
Four years later, Nigeria returned to the World Cup alongside Cameroon, Morocco, Tunisia and South Africa because of the foundation already laid by the first World Cup team. Optimism was high due to their manager, Bora Milutinovic and the return of most 1994 squad members.
In the final tournament Nigeria were drawn into Group D with Spain, Bulgaria and Paraguay. Nigeria scored a major upset by defeating Spain 3–2 after coming back twice from being 1–0 and 2–1 down. The Eagles qualified for the second round with win against Bulgaria and loss to Paraguay. Their hope of surpassing their 1994 performance was shattered after a 4–1 loss to Denmark.
The 2002 FIFA World Cup in Korea and Japan saw Nigeria again qualifying with optimism. With a new squad and distinctive pastel green kits, the Super Eagles were expected to build on their strong performances in the 2000 and 2002 Africa Cup of Nations.
Nigeria were drawn into Group F with powerhouses Sweden, Argentina and England. They started their first game against Argentina with a strong defence and kept the first half scoreless. However in the 61st minute, Gabriel Batistuta breached the Nigerian defence to put Argentina in the lead 1–0 to win the game. Nigeria’s second game against Sweden saw them take the lead, but later lost 2–1. There was little consolation when Nigeria drew 0–0 with England and bowed out in the first round.
Nigeria missed out on qualification for the 2006 World Cup after finishing level on points in the qualification group with Angola, but having an inferior record in the matches between the sides.
On November 14, 2009, Nigeria qualified for the 2010 World Cup after defeating Kenya 3–2 in Nairobi.
