QUICK TAKEOUTS FROM GOLDEN EAGLETS WIN OVER HUNGARY

Golden Eaglets lineup ahead of their opening game against Hungary

Heart and guts overcame an error-ridden performance by Nigeria, as the Golden Eaglets opened their FIFA Under 17 World Cup campaign with a come from behind win over Hungary on Saturday night.

Hungary poked the tiger within three minutes of the opening, their early pressure forcing Nigeria on the backfoot and Gyorgy Komaromi found himself in good position to draw first blood after just three minutes.

Captain Samson Tijani drew the Golden Eaglets level from the sport after Wisdom Ubani’s nifty footwork got him into the box only to be clipped. Samuel Major took advantage of further sloppy defending by Nigeria to restore Hungary’s advantage as they went into the break on top. 

But three late goals, two of those in the span of a minute, took Nigeria to victory.

Here are a few thoughts from the game

EAGLES AND EARLY PRESSURE DON’T MIX

It was obvious that Hungary had watched tapes of the Nigeria team ahead of the game, and looked to exploit the weaknesses early. They peppered the fullback positions and scored both their goals from high, early pressure that the Nigerians found difficult to deal with.

Although they failed to keep up the momentum, bombarded as they were any Nigeria’s physical superiority and skill, their technical ability meant they did not have to overly exert themselves in a first half where they allowed the Eaglets to do all the running while they simply sat back and picked them off almost at will.

This is by no means the most talented squad Manu Garba has put together in his time as a youth coach, so there will be lot more work needed to help them along the way, That means studying film of the opposition ahead of and fixing his own team’s weaknesses.

One of those is dealing with the press. They did not handle it well against Hungary and need to work on it going forward.

PLENTY OF HEART TO GO AROUND THESE EAGLETS 

To watch the first few minutes of the game, it looked like this iteration of Golden Eaglets were among the most disjointed ever.

Their passes continually went astray, touches looked heavy and the players appeared to be in a constant hurry to get nowhere fast. The calmness of the position made their haste even more glaring.

But the one thing the young men had more than enough of and then some, was heart. Even when they went down twice, their heads did not drop. They played with fire and the boisterousness of their youth. And even at the end, still had plenty of running in them as they overwhelmed Hungary by sheer force of character.

Heart and lungs are great traits to have, especially in the group phase. But they will need more than that if they are to go all the way.

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TIJANI IS A GEM, AMOO TOO

There was a lot that went wrong with the Golden Eagles on the night, and that includes players who did not pull their weight.

And the less said about the walkabout defense th ebetter.

But none of that could be said about man of the match and captain Samson Tijani. In the midst of the blundering chaos, he was the one calming influence. Everything the Nigerians played went through him, and it was when he had the ball that the team looked even slightly composed.

His two goals were just reward for the effort he put in.

And then there was Akinwunmi Amoo. It is uncertain why Garba decided to start him from the bench. It could have been for tactical reasons. But when he came on, he showed that he belongs on the starting eleven.

It is hard to see him starting on the bench now after coming on and totally changing the complexion of the Nigeria team.

BREAKDOWNS AND SCOUTING FAILURES: HOT TAKES FROM NIGERIA'S LOSS TO USA

Heading in vain. Valentine Ozornwafor's best efforts were not enough to stop Sebastian Soto/FIFA

Even as the Flying Eagles routed Qatar 4-0, the warning signs were clear and ominously present. The inexperienced Qatari moved better, passed the ball better, exploited openings better and carved the Nigerians open with ease that was at times embarrassing.

Their only drawback was the lack of efficiency in front of goal. It was clear that the Flying Eagles style would not survive much sterner scrutiny.

And the USA duly proved it on Monday. Here are three takeaways from the game.

SCOUTING FAILURE STARTS COLLAPSE

One of the most important things a coach does going into a game is prepare for the opposition by scouting them to the minutiae. Especially for a tournament where the draws had been made in advance.

Failing that however, the next best thing is to use the opening five to 10 minutes to assess the opposition, how they defend, how they attack and what weaknesses there are to exploit.

The USA played soon after Nigeria’s game against Qatar. Paul Aigbogun and his team had plenty of time to study them. They obviously did not.

Ukraine’s tactics were to sit in a low block and exploit spaces left by the USA when they poured forward. It worked. Aigbogun chose to start with a high press, which left yawning gaps all over the field. It was a gift the Americans were only too glad to accept as they calmly played their way out of trouble, and then pinned the Nigerians to their half, putting particular pressure on the fullbacks who had been the major attacking outlets against Qatar.

Aigbogun failed to react, failed to shut down the spaces as his team attempted to go on a passing toe to toe against a side as well-drilled as the US. The failure was spectacular. At one point during the first half, possession was 66% to the US.

In fairness to the Flying Eagles coach he made an adjustment within half an hour, hooking Tom Dele-Bashiru after a shocking error-strewn play. The Manchester City youngster was hooked for Aniekeme Okon, who brought energy and stability into the midfield.

At least we can’t say Aigbogun doesn’t know when to make a change.

NO BASICS

Aigbogun may have been quick to react, but he was also hampered by the tools he had. His players lack of basics was painfully accentuated by the technical ability and near-scripted execution of USA. 

They passed with crisp fitness, moved economically, exploited space and switched play almost telepathically. Their choreography left the Nigerians running around chasing their own tails.

When they did get possession, their touches were so heavy they could barely string three passes together before turning the ball over. Individual breakdowns littered the pitch.

Players appeared determined to forget that football is a team game, preferring to run into two or three-man cul de sacs when it was easier and more effective to pass their way out of trouble. 

The second goal was of such embarrassing simplicity it cold only be compared to a chess player falling for Scholar’s mate, an elementary checkmate in four moves. Four US players were involved, starting with the goalkeeper as they ran the length of the pitch without a single Nigerian player tracking within yards!

Thursday is not so far away, but Aigbogun needs to sort these out. Fast.

OKAY, THERE WERE SOME POSITIVES. . .

For all the hysterics that attended the game - and yes, said hysterics were justified - it wasn’t all doom and gloom.

There were a still positives to glean from the defeat. For one, the players did not roll over. Once the coach made the small but significant tweak of bringing on Okon, the midfield stabilised, Kingsley Michael became more influential and the Flying Eagles gradually wrested control. Oh, and they started passing the ball too! Shocker!

This proves that this team can ball, if they set their mind to it and have the right tactics and selection.

Success Makanjuola surely must have done enough over two games to have eared himself a starters shirt over Okechukwu Offia. And impressive as Tom Dele-Bashiru was in the first game, Aniekeme Okon’s energy, passing and vocal authority may just have nicked him a shirt for the next game 

Beyond personnel, Aigbogun needs to lay down the law on at least two things. First, players must stay tight and tackle to win and keep the ball. Two, they must look to release the ball as quickly as possible keep passes over 10 feet to the barest minimum. In other works, play as a friggin team!

Not a bunch of Messi-photocopies from a decommissioned copier