Africa Football Discussion || Current Topic: Worldcup qualifiers - CAF.

[snipie]

Besides the defensive pattern, I'm Very much annoyed with the coach for starting Chukwueze and Iwobi in that match. Iheanacho and Yusuf could've done better and Osihmen should've been removed from the 70th minutes

This, without mentioning that Ivory Coast team is very lucky!
They won 1 match with 2 goals then lost vs Nigeria and vs Equatorial Guinea by 1 and 4 goals respectively, yet they managed to qualify!
They beat Senegal by penalties Mali at the last moments each time then DR Congo and Nigeria by one goal difference each.
I don't find them impressive but quite lucky. Nigeria made many mistakes and it was paid fast!

[nelson4lov]

This, without mentioning that Ivory Coast team is very lucky!
They won 1 match with 2 goals then lost vs Nigeria and vs Equatorial Guinea by 1 and 4 goals respectively, yet they managed to qualify!
They beat Senegal by penalties Mali at the last moments each time then DR Congo and Nigeria by one goal difference each.
I don't find them impressive but quite lucky. Nigeria made many mistakes and it was paid fast!

It's Luck + Hard work basically. After Ivory Coast lost to 4-0 to EQ Guinea, their coach was sacked and Emerse Faé got a chance and completely changed the dynamics of their team. For instance, Simon Adingra who became their star player in the games since their knockout stage tie, wasn't the first choice candidate and don't start their games. Their game changed over the course of the tournament and even though they were down 1-man via a red card against Mali, they still pushed through. Imo, it takes more than just lucky to get these kinds of results because luck can only take you so far.

[Richbased]

Congratulations to Ivory Coast they were far better than Nigeria they controlled the game throughout and they showed they were well prepared for the final, the players were well composed and didn’t give up despite going a goal down. Nigeria on the other hand lacked composure and played like an underdog despite having the lead before half time they couldn’t define their play and I didn’t see any style of play in their game.

I feel they have been lucky all through the competition because their style of play have not been convincing enough as all teams they face easily outplayed them but they usually get lucky to win one way or another. Nigeria lacks midfield and that was their major weakness and it cost them the game because Iwobi was totally careless and was useless throughout the game, Ola Aina was also very poor and allowed Adingra to exploit him and assisted two goals all from his wing.

Ivory Coast deserved to win because they were clearly the better team, they had more goal attempts and created more chances.

Yes Ivory Coast clearly deserved to win. A marvellous cup triumph. There was nothing to be done about the first goal, the ball travelled very well and they fell behind. But after they fell behind, Ivory Coast performed in such a way that in the second half they almost crush a strong team like Nigeria. It was a good match to watch, I really enjoyed it. If it wasn't for the first goal, maybe it could have gone to extra time with a goalless draw, but Ivory Coast played the best game they have played in this cup in the final and deservedly won the cup. Congratulations Ivory Coast.

From the beginning of the game, ivory coast played with a very high spirit. They where so aggressive in their playing pattern, like they came here for victory alone. The Nigerian side where more relaxed, they weren't biting hard, the midfield of Nigeria was porous, it was safe to say the midfield was conquered by the ivorian players.. even when Nigeria scored that first goal, the Ivorians weren't relenting they kept on coming hard on Nigeria both attack and Midfield. With the way they played they were hungry for victory and so they got victory.  The major problem Nigeria had was the midfield, and the three men they played on the midfield were not formidable enough, they would have used another formation maybe 442.

Indeed the Ivorians dominated the game from the onset, I just give kudos to the Nigerian goal keeper Stanley Nwabali as the keeper tried his possible best not to concede too many goals but his defenders and midfielders weren't supportive to him at all as the Ivorians mostly gain access to Nigeria's defensive areas easily and tends to pose a threat to the goal keeper who had been up and doing for his country side. Well the Ivorians won and it is a well deserved victory because they fought so hard for it and indeed their efforts was crowned with glory by winning the AFCON tournament. Regardless of the fact that the super eagles of Nigeria were the first to score but yet the Ivorians never gave up on their fate as they kept a good spirit and high energy like the spirit this guys showed after they conceded to Nigeria in the first half was really awesome as they possesses the ball more often than Nigeria and each time they have the ball, they always destabilizes the Nigeria side.

The AFCON is come and gone and with all sincerity, the Ivorians really did a great job and their winning this AFCON competition was really out of their hardwork and not on a platter of Gold so they're Africa's current champions and every country should be able to accept that fact and move on, maybe do better in the next AFCON competition.

[Zigabel]

Besides the defensive pattern, I'm Very much annoyed with the coach for starting Chukwueze and Iwobi in that match. Iheanacho and Yusuf could've done better and Osihmen should've been removed from the 70th minutes

This, without mentioning that Ivory Coast team is very lucky!
They won 1 match with 2 goals then lost vs Nigeria and vs Equatorial Guinea by 1 and 4 goals respectively, yet they managed to qualify!
They beat Senegal by penalties Mali at the last moments each time then DR Congo and Nigeria by one goal difference each.
I don't find them impressive but quite lucky. Nigeria made many mistakes and it was paid fast!

This could be put to consideration as the reoccurrence of the same event made it obvious that it's been a series of luck that they enjoyed through out the tournament but then they can't be any less proud at the fact that they hosted and also won the trophy at same Time,r this happened to be the third time they are winning the AFCON but not in a row at once, they actually did performed better in the finals and even if it's a luck score, they aswell still deserved the winner as they played well to deserve it.

Nigeria had a chance to win but they somehow messed it up by been reluctant and too confident at the point where they were leading by a goal with the mind that they will be able to maintain the goal until the end of the game and probably win the trophy.

[flipme]

Ivory Coast pulled off a miracle in this tournament. They could have been eliminated from this tournament in the early stages but they won the cup. Congratulations to them.

I liked the performance of Serge Aurier, our new signing for Galatasaray. He will come to us as a player who has won trophies. We also need to open a parenthesis for Sebastian Haller. Two years ago he was being treated for cancer. Today he scored a goal to give his country a great victory.

[QueenVera]

Indeed the Ivorians dominated the game from the onset, I just give kudos to the Nigerian goal keeper Stanley Nwabali as the keeper tried his possible best not to concede too many goals but his defenders and midfielders weren't supportive to him at all as the Ivorians mostly gain access to Nigeria's defensive areas easily and tends to pose a threat to the goal keeper who had been up and doing for his country side. Well the Ivorians won and it is a well deserved victory because they fought so hard for it and indeed their efforts was crowned with glory by winning the AFCON tournament. Regardless of the fact that the super eagles of Nigeria were the first to score but yet the Ivorians never gave up on their fate as they kept a good spirit and high energy like the spirit this guys showed after they conceded to Nigeria in the first half was really awesome as they possesses the ball more often than Nigeria and each time they have the ball, they always destabilizes the Nigeria side.

The AFCON is come and gone and with all sincerity, the Ivorians really did a great job and their winning this AFCON competition was really out of their hardwork and not on a platter of Gold so they're Africa's current champions and every country should be able to accept that fact and move on, maybe do better in the next AFCON competition.

Ivory Coast real merited the trophy based on their performance especially in the final. The team showed how massively they’ve improved as compared to how they performed in the group stages. Stanley Nwabali was the saving grace of the Super Eagles as he was able to stop some long range shots coming his way. I wouldn’t put much blame on the defenders rather I’ll put on the midfielders who allowed those longs balls circulate past them.

 I also think the formation applied by the Super Eagles wasn’t the best as they went defensive in this match. Surprisingly they still went defensive even after going 1 goal up and it ought not to be so as they had a better team than the Ivory Coast. Well the competition is over, I think everyone will rest and try to work on having a better competition in 2025.

[SatoPrincess]

OMG,,, yesterday was very much sad for me because I thought we were going to get der cup but unfortunately we didn't but with the performance of Nigerian team, it wasn't much appreciated because on what I see right at the second half our players were afraid to keep playing the game and on what makes us to lose the match.
Be that as it may, I don't see any need for we to hold our possession strong from the day one of the AFCON competition until the right end and they just played the game with fear and that's was frustrating because they didn't perform as we all expected them to play the match.
We lost Grammy to South Africans and still lose the match competition to Ivory Coast. Moreover we tried, super eagles tried well all their games but when it comes to the final day which was yesterday they didn't act as expected.
Nwabali the goal keeper performed absolutely well as he tried his best to save as must shot on goals that the Ivory Coast players hard and it wasn't easy because I see that in every final games there will always be high tension for each participants but as they are already used to it they shouldn't have been scared that the second half and that's what makes them to lose the match yesterday.

There is a school of thought that suggests that Nigeria lost the AFCON finals because of their lack of fighting spirit and patriotism to their country. The blame is cast on the management  for prioritizing foreign based players more than home grown players. The Super Eagles captain Ahmed Musa also share the opinion. Looking at the team, apart from the goal keeper, Nwabali, I don't think there is any other player that has his football history in the country.

[AYOBA]

This could be put to consideration as the reoccurrence of the same event made it obvious that it's been a series of luck that they enjoyed through out the tournament but then they can't be any less proud at the fact that they hosted and also won the trophy at same Time,r this happened to be the third time they are winning the AFCON but not in a row at once, they actually did performed better in the finals and even if it's a luck score, they aswell still deserved the winner as they played well to deserve it.

The Avory Coast put in a great deal of work throughout the final and put a lot of pressure on Nigeria since they genuinely believed they would win the AFCON. They really gave it their all during the game. They demonstrate that they need the trophy, so they are deserving of it. They changed it from best loser to trophy winner for that reason. What kind of performance did Nigeria put on that day? They really did give a terrible performance. They did not lose even after they gave in to Nigeria. They gave themselves greater strength. The most unexpected thing is that Avory Coast played like they were losing while the Super Eagles were there playing defense, even after they equalized. Rather of them enhancing their performance, but they didn't.

Nigeria had a chance to win but they somehow messed it up by been reluctant and too confident at the point where they were leading by a goal with the mind that they will be able to maintain the goal until the end of the game and probably win the trophy.

To be honest, Nigeria has missed a lot of chances. They have plenty of opportunities to win the AFCON, but they are unwilling to remain consistent. They truly strive since they can teach to the final, but if it weren't for their opportunities, they might have won the prize. If they were to play in the same manner as they did against South Africa in the semifinals, they may have overwhelmingly successful outcomes.

[Jegileman]

Besides the defensive pattern, I'm Very much annoyed with the coach for starting Chukwueze and Iwobi in that match. Iheanacho and Yusuf could've done better and Osihmen should've been removed from the 70th minutes

This, without mentioning that Ivory Coast team is very lucky!
They won 1 match with 2 goals then lost vs Nigeria and vs Equatorial Guinea by 1 and 4 goals respectively, yet they managed to qualify!
They beat Senegal by penalties Mali at the last moments each time then DR Congo and Nigeria by one goal difference each.
I don't find them impressive but quite lucky. Nigeria made many mistakes and it was paid fast!

Looking back at how Ivory Coast made it to the final and won the cup after finishing their group on third position made me to have a rethink that it was all a game of luck for them. But again, it could be as a result of change of Coach and the return of Adingra and Haller in the attacking for them. Those two played excellently well for the team since they returned fully from injury, their duo is great and every team will love to have such talents in their team. Nigeria had their chances and the Ivory Coast we won in the group stage was different from the one we were playing with  in the finals, they should have understood this and used a different formation approach. The team had improved and without us understanding that, they punished us by that.

[Antotena]

Looking back at how Ivory Coast made it to the final and won the cup after finishing their group on third position made me to have a rethink that it was all a game of luck for them. But again, it could be as a result of change of Coach and the return of Adingra and Haller in the attacking for them. Those two played excellently well for the team since they returned fully from injury, their duo is great and every team will love to have such talents in their team. Nigeria had their chances and the Ivory Coast we won in the group stage was different from the one we were playing with  in the finals, they should have understood this and used a different formation approach. The team had improved and without us understanding that, they punished us by that.

Team that has to wait for the group stage to be finished and was consider to proceed to knockout stage for having hugest point as losers, this is a big shame on Nigeria even if Ivory coast knows how to play these game than Nigeria, they were good but we didn't deserve these loss so easily, there midfield was smooth engaging with their center forward, there defenders were also doing well but Nigeria played wrong defensive game that day.

We have made mouth on all social media of winning account, banter many countries but the payback hurt me very much, Ghanaians and Southy roasted us on all Social Media that I have get irritated by some jokes on Nigerians even when we started it in the first place. Anyways, it was entertaining from the beginning to the end.

[Sandra_hakeem]

There is a school of thought that suggests that Nigeria lost the AFCON finals because of their lack of fighting spirit and patriotism to their country.

School of thought ?? People will always say shit in critical situations like this - where was the so-called "school of thoughts" when the super eagles won almost on every round?... Everyone prefers to be chasing clout for their selfish interest and popularity. Now what if the super eagles had lifted the trophy at the end? Rhetorical!
it wouldn't be too nice if we try to deviate from the point of focus; we all know they were on too much pressure -- the pressure was so captivating that they began to defend instead of attacking to create counter opportunities... It's dawn on them but not too bad - second position is still okay.

Sandra 🧑‍🦰

[EL MOHA]

There is a school of thought that suggests that Nigeria lost the AFCON finals because of their lack of fighting spirit and patriotism to their country. The blame is cast on the management  for prioritizing foreign based players more than home grown players. The Super Eagles captain Ahmed Musa also share the opinion. Looking at the team, apart from the goal keeper, Nwabali, I don't think there is any other player that has his football history in the country.

Nigerians will just come and everyone wants to have their say on the matter. This isn’t about not home based players anymore, can someone point out to me just one player that didn’t deserve that call up? All of them where worthy of the call up even Nwabali isn’t playing his trade now at the Nigerian league but South African league. People are clamoring for the coach to scout home grown players but how will he do that when the league itself is not in the right order this days. Our local league clubs hardly go far in continental football and you want the coach that is still finding his feet to fieldle in raw talent into a competition like AFCON? It will be a risk too much for him to handle, before we talk about home based players let’s revitalize the league itself for the boys to have better exposure.

As for those bullying Iwobi it is so sad that we resulted to that, we can say he had a bad game but right before the competition started we all know he wasn’t an attacking midfielder but due to lack of choice the boy did well there. He created more chances than any of his fellow players there. He and the team were carried away with celebrations and Ivory Coast capitalized on that and won just like if it was our day we will have capitalized on there mistake

This is football one side must lose and we were that side in the final, let’s cheer this patriots and back them to go stronger

[Sexylizzy2813]

We lost the AFCON final but is that enough reason to be much bitter to start pouring out threats to some of our players, it only shows we ain't different from the South Africans.
The case of Uzoho was a bit different from how some of we Nigerians took to social media to threaten Iwobi and even Chukwueze. Fine Iwobi's performance in this past AFCON is something not to write home about and we know how it is for some footballer who can't take such backlash and insults and stil move on. Take for instance Harry Maguire, this guy wasn't himself with all being said to him but he still bounce back to prove to the supporters wrong.
Iwobi couldn't help it but he had to delete everything on his social media accounts and was planning to retire from national team (I know some of you would say let him go😁) as of two days back, but yesterday the sporting director (If I'm not mistaken) talked to him and hopefully things might turn around for good. That same yesterday our president gave the Super Eagles (those who played and those who warmed the bench) lands, houses and a title, the players will have to enjoy that while some of us have the energy to pour threats, for me is not cool.

[Davidvictorson]

Iwobi couldn't help it but he had to delete everything on his social media accounts and was planning to retire from national team (I know some of you would say let him go😁) as of two days back, but yesterday the sporting director (If I'm not mistaken) talked to him and hopefully things might turn around for good. That same yesterday our president gave the Super Eagles (those who played and those who warmed the bench) lands, houses and a title, the players will have to enjoy that while some of us have the energy to pour threats, for me is not cool.

I do not like the cyber bullying that Iwobi is receiving. Cancel culture is good but trying to cancel Iwobi and discredit his efforts no matter how minimal it was during the AFCON is just a total no-no for me. It isn't easy to be picked to join the A-team and even have play time. I consider cyber bullies as cowards and nothing more than that. Because it is only a coward that would sit anonymously behind his computer, laptop, electronic device to harass another person. There is always room for constructive criticism but bullies should be dealt with. Nigerians should do better.

[QueenVera]

Nigerians will just come and everyone wants to have their say on the matter. This isn’t about not home based players anymore, can someone point out to me just one player that didn’t deserve that call up? All of them where worthy of the call up even Nwabali isn’t playing his trade now at the Nigerian league but South African league. People are clamoring for the coach to scout home grown players but how will he do that when the league itself is not in the right order this days. Our local league clubs hardly go far in continental football and you want the coach that is still finding his feet to fieldle in raw talent into a competition like AFCON? It will be a risk too much for him to handle, before we talk about home based players let’s revitalize the league itself for the boys to have better exposure.

As for those bullying Iwobi it is so sad that we resulted to that, we can say he had a bad game but right before the competition started we all know he wasn’t an attacking midfielder but due to lack of choice the boy did well there. He created more chances than any of his fellow players there. He and the team were carried away with celebrations and Ivory Coast capitalized on that and won just like if it was our day we will have capitalized on there mistake

This is football one side must lose and we were that side in the final, let’s cheer this patriots and back them to go stronger

The Nigerian Local league hasn’t experienced any form of improvement yet and that’s why picking players to represent the nation from the league is quite challenging. Based on the ranking in Africa the league holds no sweet position and getting players from their to play in the National team might be disastrous. I think the players playing across Europe or in better Africa Leagues aren’t doing bad as we can see how they performed for the Nation in th just concluded AFCON. Based on Iwobi’s issue, I think the Nigeria fans are just showing the anger of losing in a match owing that they were major favorites.

 I think they should also know that football doesn’t have to go your way everytime as sometimes you could lose in a more bigger stage than expected. Though Iwobi too should also try to up his game as he’s a wonderful player and as sought should be delivering stellar performances and not some reckless passes.

[Rruchi man]

Though Iwobi too should also try to up his game as he’s a wonderful player and as sought should be delivering stellar performances and not some reckless passes.

The criticism that Iwobi although they have not all been constructive should be taken by him as a fuel to drive him to becoming a better player. He is a player who can do better if he consciously focuses on improving his game.

Here is a list of the AFCON team of the tournament, three Nigerians made the list.

Goalkeeper – Ronwen Williams (South Africa)

Defender – William Troost-Ekong (Nigeria)
Defender – Chancel Mbemba (DR Congo)
Left Back – Ghislain Konan (Ivory Coast)
Right back – Ola Aina (Nigeria)

Midfielder – Teboho Mokoena (South Africa)
Midfielder – Jean Michael Seri (Ivory Coast)
Midfielder – Franck Kessie (Ivory Coast)

Left Winger – Ademola Lookman (Nigeria)
Right Winger – Yoane Wissa (DR Congo)
Striker – Emilio Nsue (Equatorial Guinea)
source

I agree with the list, all the players on the list totally deserve to be on it. If there was an option for a second best goalkeeper with this, Nwabali would have been there I am sure.

[SatoPrincess]

we all know they were on too much pressure -- the pressure was so captivating that they began to defend instead of attacking to create counter opportunities...

Pressure made them go defensive? Or was that the manager’s strategy from the beginning? If you watched the game, it was obvious that the Super Eagles played a defensive game from the start, I think Jose Poseiro was planning on getting one goal up and defending till full time.

I do not like the cyber bullying that Iwobi is receiving. Cancel culture is good but trying to cancel Iwobi and discredit his efforts no matter how minimal it was during the AFCON is just a total no-no for me. It isn't easy to be picked to join the A-team and even have play time. I consider cyber bullies as cowards and nothing more than that. Because it is only a coward that would sit anonymously behind his computer, laptop, electronic device to harass another person. There is always room for constructive criticism but bullies should be dealt with. Nigerians should do better.

I don’t appreciate the attacks Iwobi has been getting online. He was not the only one on the pitch, the super Eagles midfield is very weak and that made Iwobi’s blunders more obvious.

[Die_empty]

I do not like the cyber bullying that Iwobi is receiving. Cancel culture is good but trying to cancel Iwobi and discredit his efforts no matter how minimal it was during the AFCON is just a total no-no for me. It isn't easy to be picked to join the A-team and even have play time. I consider cyber bullies as cowards and nothing more than that. Because it is only a coward that would sit anonymously behind his computer, laptop, electronic device to harass another person. There is always room for constructive criticism but bullies should be dealt with. Nigerians should do better.

The cyberbullying of Iwobi is just because Nigeria lost the competition.  Nobody would have talked about his performance if Nigeria had won the trophy. Iwobi played the role he was assigned to by the coach and that was why he was featured always. Jose Peseiro forced the Nigerian side to play mainly defensive football and used just counter-attacks and this style made Iwobi less productive. He was practically relegated to play as a defender which led to less connectivity with the attack.

Cyberbullying is not strange in football, especially in very passionate countries like Nigeria. He should see this attack as a challenge to improve his game and contribute more to the Super Eagles. I was happy that he was among the players that visited the president, some players would have departed to their clubs in anger.

[Cookdata]

The cyberbullying of Iwobi is just because Nigeria lost the competition.  Nobody would have talked about his performance if Nigeria had won the trophy. Iwobi played the role he was assigned to by the coach and that was why he was featured always. Jose Peseiro forced the Nigerian side to play mainly defensive football and used just counter-attacks and this style made Iwobi less productive. He was practically relegated to play as a defender which led to less connectivity with the attack.

You remembered when Aina loss a penalty during the PK shootout between South Africa and Nigeria, they would have roasted him that night with abusive words but Nwabali saved him by saving some penalty and that was how Ihenacho scored the last PK. He posted on his time line that his friends save his ass and he was right about that, Nigerians are bully and have the habit of attacking people online when they are not happy and I guess that's because there is no law that protect people online, if like 20 people have been arrested and charge for doing that, cyber bully will reduce.

Cyberbullying is not strange in football, especially in very passionate countries like Nigeria. He should see this attack as a challenge to improve his game and contribute more to the Super Eagles. I was happy that he was among the players that visited the president, some players would have departed to their clubs in anger.

I still don't like the fact that Nigerians take it too extreme, they threatened lives and other sort of abusive words that can make one depress, it's really really bad that even Jose Pesero has to mute his replies so that people don't come for him but yet, a lot of people were quoting his posts with attacks for losing the Afcon, for playing defensive game after scoring a goal. We need to do better as fans in Nigeria.

[Dzwaafu11]

Besides the defensive pattern, I'm Very much annoyed with the coach for starting Chukwueze and Iwobi in that match. Iheanacho and Yusuf could've done better and Osihmen should've been removed from the 70th minutes

This, without mentioning that Ivory Coast team is very lucky!
They won 1 match with 2 goals then lost vs Nigeria and vs Equatorial Guinea by 1 and 4 goals respectively, yet they managed to qualify!
They beat Senegal by penalties Mali at the last moments each time then DR Congo and Nigeria by one goal difference each.
I don't find them impressive but quite lucky. Nigeria made many mistakes and it was paid fast!

yeah. Since the day the AFCON competition ended, I have been looking for someone to clearly say something like this, but I have been unable to find any until now. However, you clearly said the truth, and I can also confidently say that Ivory Coast were lucky to win the final match against Nigeria. Although some people are saying they deserve to win because they are the ones that host the competition, I don't see that. However, hosting should not be a sign that they are supposed to win. Every country that participated hopes to win, so therefore, I also believe they are lucky to win the match.

Even in the match, the Super Eagle players did well and played a more mature game than them. Ivory Coast did not have the chances Nigerian players had in that match to score the goal. The Super Eagle players created more chances than them, but it happened that way. Congratulations on their achievement. It was a very big achievement for them.

Cyberbullying is not strange in football, especially in very passionate countries like Nigeria. He should see this attack as a challenge to improve his game and contribute more to the Super Eagles. I was happy that he was among the players that visited the president, some players would have departed to their clubs in anger.

It's like you didn't see how people were abusing Iwobi on every social media platform, which will put the player in another mental problem, maybe depression or some other thing. It will make the player feel like he is the only person who made Nigeria lose the game that day, even though we know that cyberbullying is not a new thing to us, but the way Nigerians were attacking the player is too much and too bad that way. However, I did not see cyberbullying as a way that will make the player improve his performance.