A tale of two Eagles

Nigeria vs. Mali…Recap

What a great game, at least from my perspective. As far as 0-0 draws go, this was a pretty entertaining one. From the outset you could feel the drama and pressure as African giants Nigeria were up against the wall facing possible elimination at the hands of a growing African football presence in Mali. For the most part it was a fairly even game with both teams having quality scoring chances, albeit Nigeria having more close calls and shots on target. Although Mali needed only a draw to position themselves favorably for advancement, they still had no problems taking the game to the “Super” Eagles at times and looked comfortable doing it. Rather than bore you with a long essay like recap of the game, I am going to choose a more bullet like format and intersperse some pictures so as not to bore those of us that like to read books that have pictures. (I am counting myself in that number)

A pressure cooker
Right from the opening kick-off you could almost feel the pressure that Nigeria was under. At certain times you could actually see large knapsacks strapped on the backs of the Super Eagles players that were labeled “Hopes of a Nation”. Naturally these heavy backpacks slowed the players down and caused them to make mistakes and decisions that they wouldn’t have otherwise made. Conversely, the Eagles of Mali looked calm, cool, and collected. They faced no pressure and seemed quite happy to let the Nigerians run around with those heavy knapsacks on as I didn’t once see a Malian offer to help a Nigerian with his heavy load.

Contrasting gameplans
It also was quite apparent from the outset that we would see two differing styles of play. Nigeria seemed content to knock the ball long and have their players chase it down. On the other hand, Mali took the slow, patient build up approach. This fit right in with the idea that it was one team tense and under pressure vs. the other team comfortable and confident and able to work the ball around and try and create scoring chances gradually. I want to give credit to the coach and the players of Mali for working out a gameplan and sticking to it almost to perfection. They never panicked but just stuck to the system. They also found a weakness down Nigeria’s left side and exploited Nwaneri multiple times.

The big man coming into form
After a pretty average and unimpressive performance in the game against Benin, Freddy Kanoute looked much more like himself in this game. He was much stronger on the ball, didn’t give it away nearly as easily as against Benin and was causing problems for the Nigerian defence that the Beninois defenders never really had to deal with. So yes, Kanoute played better in the game where he didn’t score then in the one where he did. Strange but true. Here’s hoping that Freddy continues to get better with each and every game going forward.

Blessing in disguise?
After picking up a silly yellow card for taking an early free kick against Benin, Mahamadou Diarra was in danger of picking up a second yellow thus putting him out of action for the next game. That fear became a reality when Diarra was carded in the second half and therefore automatically out for the match against Cote d’Ivoire. Horror. Tragedy. Awful. Actually, I think that was the perfect time for Diarra to get his second yellow card. Follow my reasoning…Diarra will miss the next game in which the Eagles only need a draw against a team of Elephants that also only need a draw and hopefully will rest some of their players, at least for part of the game. What if Diarra hadn’t picked up the yellow against Nigeria and instead picked it up against Cote d’Ivoire and was forced to miss the possible first knock-out game which will probably be against hosts Ghana? Now that would be tragic. So, all things considered, good yellow card Mahamadou, get some rest ’cause we will need you against Ghana. (Knock on wood)

Hero’s of the game
Without the incredible play of stars Freddy Kanoute, Mahamadou Diarra, and Seydou Keita Mali would have lost this game, right? Wrong. Kanoute did play well, Keita had his moments (including an 82nd minute strike of the woodworks), and Diarra was alright but pretty quiet. The real key players in this draw? Try Adama Tamboura (pictured to the left), Amadou Sidibe, and Cedric Kante. When the stars can be ordinary and the ordinary can step up their game, that bodes very well for the Eagles future. Tamboura played well in the back and also made some nice runs into the offensive end and Sidibe was playing games with Nwaneri all game on the left side and often looked dangerous in pushing the play forward into the attacking third. More on Kante in a moment. But without a doubt, the role players for Mali played great and are largely to be thanked for the end result.

Liverpools forgotten man
After missing the first game, Momo Sissoko was in the starting lineup against Nigeria. Amidst a rough season at Anfield and a rumoured move to Juventus, Sissoko looks to be ready to be a contributer for this Mali side. Although he got winded and looked very tired as the second half dragged on, he had some good moments in the first half and overall played a strong game. If he continues to round into form then Mali will have one of the best midfields going forward comprised of Sissoko, Diarra, Keita, and the aforementioned Amadou Sidibe.

Man of the match
As far as I’m concerned that honour should go to Cedric Kante (pictured below). The man was a rock in the middle of the back line. I should have been keeping track, but I would guess that he came out on top in about 80-90 percent of the one on one battles for the ball, whether in the air or on the ground. He did almost give up a goal when his back pass to keeper Mahamadou Sidibe was a little short, but other than that, he played a great game and deserves a lot of the credit for holding Nigeria scoreless.

On deck
The last game of the group stage for the Eagles of Mali will be against Cote d’Ivoire on Tuesday. With both teams only needing a draw to advance and, as I read somewhere else, “politely” send Nigeria packing, what are we to expect? Will either team go for the win? Cote di’voire can’t afford to sit back (which I don’t think is in their vocabulary anyways) because if Mali wins the Eagles will take first place and that is key because the second place finisher will likely get the daunting task of facing the host Black Stars. My vote is that the teams decide to just play a friendly game of monkey in the middle or keep-away and let the game finish 0-0. But hey, who am I to tell them how to play?

In case you missed the game, here’s a small highlight package. ‘Cause hey, if you were good enough to read all the way to this point then you deserve a video reward. Enjoy.