Solace B Chukwu

Seems quite suited to teams that play in blue too...

Oh, that's good...

Throughout the 2010s, Ghana at AFCON was the model of boring, consistent efficiency. Final, semi, semi, final, semi, all the while putting you to sleep. To go from that to not qualifying at all, following successive Group Stage exits, is genuinely sobering.

▪️Maiden call-up
▪️Debut from the start
▪️Roughly 2 days of training
▪️Competitive fixture vs opponent that needed a result
▪️Pouring rain
▪️Entire team unmotivated & playing poorly

I'm sure that Nigerians will be typically level-headed in their assessment of Gabriel Osho. Of course.

▪️Nwabali's 'he should be doing better there' list getting longer
▪️Some interesting rotations on the left. Safe to say Lookman and Onyemaechi have struck up an understanding
▪️Nigeria often in a 4-1-5 attacking shape, distances messy, and both Iheanacho & Iwobi struggling with timing their drops

Yes. The team's in-possession structure is not lending itself well to defensive transition, unfortunately.

Victor Osimhen bears many similarities to the great Rashidi Yekini. Being clinical on Ivorian soil, sadly, does not appear to be one of them...

First goal Nigeria have conceded in these AFCON qualifiers. A corner – same avenue via which Benin scored on them in World Cup qualifying back in June. Then with Finidi in charge, now with Eguavoen; set-pieces remain an Achilles' heel.

▪️Typically, international selections are based either off club form or incumbency/continuity. Iheanacho has neither, and has apparently gotten into the XI on training performance which, considering the team had 3 sessions max, is bizarre.
▪️Osho debut from the start. One to keep an eye on.

With AFCON qualification seemingly gone, Ghana experienced a rash of withdrawals for the November internationals, only for Niger to do a number on Sudan (presently up 3-0). Now Ghana have an opening, but must take it with a shorn, highly experimental squad against group leaders Angola.

It is a bit of a shame that African national team football is beset by infrastructural constraints. This is probably the most exciting it has ever been in terms of top-down competitiveness, but millions of fans are disconnected on account of their NTs having to play home matches on foreign soil.