COMPLACENCY CAN BE A BUGBEAR

By Omoseye Bolaji

The crunch final World Cup qualifying games in Africa kicked off throughout the continent over the weekend. Naturally enough, tens of millions of Nigerians looked forward with relish to the first leg of the games with Ethiopia, including in South Africa here.

Ethiopia had done very well indeed to get to this final stage of qualification, one must say. And they are such a lovable, genial breed of people, so law-abiding and essentially decent. In South Africa they exhibit their love for business and amity within each other every time – you see them at the helm of sundry businesses like salons,eateries, and internet centres.

Many South African men often praise the beauty and “nobility” of Ethiopian (or sometimes Eritrean; their east African neighbours’) women. This was especially so during that last Africa Cup of Nations finals hosted earlier this year by SA where glimpses of the pulchritude of such women could be seen in the media intermittently. But I have been used to seeing their women for years, so there is no novelty for moi!

Yes, Ethiopia had done magnificently to get to this final stage but to expect to defeat Nigeria, would to most pundits be over-stretching expectations; yet as we have seen over the decades nothing is impossible in football really. Naturally I wanted the Super Eagles (Nigeria) to win but I still had a lot of sympathy for the Ethiopians.

Such was the fervour, enthusiasm and expectations of the Ethiopians over the game (the first leg in their country) that one could not but have a lot of empathy for them, especially as I have so many good Ethiopian friends in South Africa. It is a pity there has to always be a victor in such mammoth competitions though…

Yet even many South Africans believed that Ethiopia could pull off an upset against Nigeria, at least in the first leg in their country. After all, Ethiopia had acquitted themselves well during the Nations Cup finals in SA earlier in the year (which the Eagles incidentally won). But what a game they had given Nigeria in the very first round, when again many felt the Eagles would win rather easily.

How well I remember that game – it was in no way easy for Nigeria. In fact late on in the match it was clear that any of the teams could actually win it – until Victor Moses won two penalties and converted them. But Ethiopia had made a very fine impression and nobody was underestimating them again.

Certainly not South Africa who were painfully denied the possibility of going to next year’s World Cup finals because of the same Ethiopia. It seemed almost unreal, quite surreal when Bafana Bafana could not win their vital home tie against Ethiopia…but the word “surreal” was accentuated in the crunch tie far away in Ethiopia when SA lost 2-1. Not really because Bafana lost, but because the winning goal of Ethiopia was actually an own goal scored by the normally reliable SA striker, Bernard Parker!

Yet South Africa would be reprieved thanks to a technicality, and there was still a chance of progressing ahead of Ethiopia; but the latter, showing how strong they are these days travelled to CAF and somehow won. So this put paid to Bafana Bafana’s prospects and Ethiopia consolidated their new found respect internationally. 

Yes, Nigerians, we know traditionally would still find it difficult to be in awe of Ethiopia. After all for about fifty years Ethiopia had not pulled up any trees in African football, not even in the Cup of Nations finals for decades! Yet the history book tells us that Ethiopia won the Africa Cup in 1962, something most people around today would know nothing about. Anyway, the simple truth was that this was easily the strongest Ethiopian side ever in decades… and they were bent on going to the World Cup for the first time! Then again there was also the small matter of the thin air that affected visitors playing in their country (Ethiopia)

In the event, Nigeria won the first leg of the World Cup tie against Ethiopia 2-1, despite conceding the first goal of the match in almost bizarre fashion. Then Emmanuel Emenike, never short of confidence and unbridled determination these days, went on to score two goals for the Eagles, the second a very late penalty.

Yet this does not mean that Ethiopia would easily be rolled over during the second leg in Calabar (Nigeria) The Eagles, having won the first leg away are overwhelming favourites, but there should be no room for complacency. Anything can happen in football. For example, some months ago Arsenal (England) lost 2-0 AT HOME to Bayern Munich, but incredibly travelled to Germany and won 2-0 too! A word is enough for the wise…suke…

* Pic above: Emmanuel Emeneke who bagged a brace against Ethiopia