Eagles: some lessons from history

Nigeria face Ethiopia in the first leg of what has easily been described as an easy fixture, this weekend, as we battle for the final phase of the 2014 World Cup qualifiers.

Admittedly, one will have to say the Super Eagles enjoyed the luck of the draws, considering the fact Cote d’Ivoire are up against Senegal; Ghana will battle Egypt; Cameroun are up against Tunisia while Burkina Faso’s destiny is tied to the outcome of their fixture with Algeria.

Yes Nigeria have enjoyed a decent experience under the current manager, Stephen Keshi, in terms of record with 46.43% wins and 26.79% draws since his appointment in November 2011. It’s a performance which has led to the country’s first African Nations Cup in almost a decade and a not-so-bad outing at the FIFA Confederations Cup in Brazil in July.

Keshi’s steady progress with the team has once again stimulated the interest of Nigerians in the activities of the national team albeit it is important to note Nigeria have had to struggle a lot to reach this stage of the World Cup qualifiers. Despite our continental conquest in South Africa, the trio of Kenya, Namibia and Malawi have held the Eagles to draws.

The Harambee Stars of Kenya actually recorded their draws on their trip to Nigeria in a group F qualifier, a warning that the Eagles cannot afford a defeat in Addis Ababa this weekend, in order to avoid a nervy second leg in Calabar next month.

A cursory look at our pedigree in the world cup qualify campaigns in the past indicates the Eagles have never had an easy route, even against teams which could be referred to as minnows in African football.

1978 qualifiers

Nigeria had finished with bronze in the 1976 AFCON in Ethiopia where two of our players, Haruna Ilerika and Kunle Awesu made the best XI of the tournament won by Morocco, who had just one more named. So we had a strong team. Tunisia were not in the competition.

And after edging out Sierra Leone and Cote d’Ivoire in the previous rounds, the Eagles had put themselves in a terrific position by holding Tunisia to a goalless draw on September 25, 1977 in the final round of qualifiers for Spain 1982 Mundial.

 It looked a certainty in Lagos on a beautiful day of November 12, 1977 until the Eagles midfielder, Godwin Odiye scored an own goal to give the North Africans the World Cup ticket.

1982

Just like at present, the national team then called the Green Eagles were the reigning African champions, having triumphed on home soil in 1980 with a terrific squad including the likes of Emmanuel Okala, Segun Odegbami, Adokiye Amiesimaka, Christian Chukwu, Felix Owolabi and Muda Lawal.

Yet later that year, on June 6, 1980, Tanzania, who had finished bottom of our AFCON group with only a point, held our Eagles at home to a 1-1 draw after Nigeria had led the game 1-0 at half time. Well we went to Dar es Salaam to defeat them 2-0 the Eagles couldn’t escape elimination from the qualifying campaign in the next round.

Algeria, who the Eagles had trounced 3-0 in the final to become African kings shocked football lovers by avenging the defeat on our soil, beating the Eagles 2-0 on October 10, 1981 before confirming their ticket in Algiers at  2-1, 20 days later.

The above were in the period Nigeria had formidable teams and were expected to qualify for the competition but failed, even though it could be argued the oppositions. What the 2006 World Cup qualifiers where we failed again in a group consisting of Algeria (who had suffered a decline, and still do, in football) Rwanda, Gabon, Angola and Zimbabwe?

A defeat in Angola early in the qualifiers was enough to sound a strong warning for the Eagles. But it took a late goal from Obafemi Martins to rescue Nigeria from a lone goal defeat in Kigali in June 2005 before Angola shocked the Eagles with a 1-1 in the sunny Kano in June 2005.

That result in Kano turned to be the most disappointing outcome in the campaign as the Palancas Negras eliminated Nigeria on head-to-head rule after both teams tie on points. For a team comprising of Austin Okocha, Joseph Yobo, Obafemi Martins, Yakubu Aiyegbeni, Vincent Enyeama and Osaze Odemwingie, the 2006 World Cup qualifying campaign disaster was one of our lowest moments.

It was a low point for the Eagles led by Christian Chukwu but it heralded Angola as  debutantes in the Mundial in Germany.

As the Eagles fly out to Ethiopia for the first leg of the phase to Brazil, the words of Spain-born philosopher and essayist, George Santayana comes to mind. "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

Be careful Eagles, be careful.