Three
minutes. Nigeria were just three minutes away from sending Argentina packing
from the World Cup on Tuesday. But a momentary lapse in attention allowed
Marcos Rojo to steal ahead of Victor Moses and curl a rocket past Francis
Uzoho. Those three minutes separated a group of youngsters from potentially
legendary status. 'Heartbreak' does not quite capture the full depths of the
emotion, but it comes pretty close.
As
the team heads home, much remains to unpack from the entire series. Coach
Gernot Rohr has always maintained that this team is one for the future, one
being built to compete at the 2022 tournament in Qatar. And as one of the youngest, if not the
youngest, squads at the tournament, Nigeria have a team with the real potential
to do great things down the line. A few players may be on their way out, either
on account of age or productivity.
To start with,
one big lesson they must take away from Russia is the value of starting well. A
performance like their last two, notably the win against Iceland, could have
earned them, at the very least, a draw against Croatia.
Beyond the
football however, there are the unseen hands at work which got the Super Eagles
this far.
Firstly, long
notorious for their chaotic build up, and even more disorganized at major
tournaments, Nigeria's trip to Russia was uncharacteristically bereft of
incident. From allowances being paid on time, through world class travel and
lodging at some of the world's best facilities, and playing friendly games
against top teams, the NFF pulled out all the stops for this team.
While all this
good work did not take the team past the first round. There are those who might
argue that less pampered teams (like the 2014 version) produced better results.
But I will say it did show what was possible with some stability and good,
long-term planning.
All of this
was made possible largely by a settled leadership, devoid of the previous
shadows usually cast by power plays between different groups seeking control of
the Football house. This in turn helped with an aggressive marketing drive
which in turn yielded record sponsorship revenue for federation.
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