Nigeria’s wait for their fourth Africa Cup of Nations title continues after they lost 2-1 to Ivory Coast in this year’s final.
At the end of the first half,
it appeared the Super Eagles would have lifted the trophy again, after William
Troost-Ekong’s goal.
The captain rose highest to
head in a corner kick and give Nigeria the lead.
But second half goals from
Franck Kessie and Sebastien Haller saw the Elephants win the title on home
soil.
So what went wrong?
1. Peseiro got his tactics
wrong: Credit to Jose Peseiro. After the 1-1 draw with Equatorial Guinea in the
opening group fixture, he switched to a 3-4-3 tactical system that saw Nigeria
go all the way to the final. However, from the semi-final against South Africa,
the cracks in that setup began to show. And against the hosts, the Portuguese
needed to switch it up again, possibly return to a back four.
2. Too many poor performances:
From back to front, there were a few poor displays from Nigerian players.
Calvin Bassey was shaky. Zaidu Sanusi returned to the starting XI, but remained
unreliable. Ola Aina chose to have his worst game in the final. Alex Iwobi was
merely a passenger on the pitch, while Samuel Chukwueze had no business
starting the game.
3. Weight of history: The Super
Eagles have never defeated a host country in an AFCON final. And from the
moment Ivory Coast snuck into the knockout stages as the last team to qualify,
it felt ominous. There was a call of destiny they had to answer. It was crowned
by Sebastien Haller getting the winner. Almost two years ago, he was diagnosed
with cancer. On Sunday, he was helping his country make history.
4. Poor officiating: For most
of the tournament, fans and pundits hailed the use of Video Assistant Referees
(VAR), urging the top European leagues to learn a thing or two. But officiating
for the final was an eyesore. The referee seemed jittery and overwhelmed. Most
of the 50-50 calls went the way of the hosts. Kessie, who equalized for the
hosts, could have easily seen red after elbowing Sanusi.
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