Super Eagles ready to fight : Siasia
Nigerian coach Samson Siasia expects his team to excel in the high profile FIFA International Friendly against Argentina at the Bangabandhu National Stadium on Tuesday.
“The team I’m putting together will hold their own against them. I don’t know what the result will be but I know it will be a very good game, we will fight till the end” he disclosed.
“Argentina were surprised my team beat them in Abuja with such sound tactics. They couldn’t believe an African team could beat them so tactically. We shut them out” Siasia told to the press when his team trounced Argentina at Abuja on June 1st.
The match can easily be dubbed as the greatest sporting event for Bangladesh.
The Super Eagles have their own footballing legacy to speak for them. It was back in 1994 when three African nations had participated in the Fifa World Cup for the first time, Cameroon, Morocco and debutants Nigeria. And when the occasion came, Nigeria the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations winners, made sure they left their mark in history.
Nigeria were drawn into group D alongside Maradona’s Argentina, Hristo Stoichkov’s Bulgaria and Greece. Though Nigeria came into the tournament with their best ever position in the Fifa ranking, seventh, not many had predicted the magic they produced. The Super Eagles did not just upset Bulgaria on their debut, they eventually topped the group and made it to the second rounds, the round of 16.
Under the guidance of Dutch manager Clemens Westerhof, Nigeria kicked off their first ever World Cup campaign in style when they stunned Bulgaria 3-0, who later went on to claim the fourth place in the same tournament. It was time not only Nigeria but whole Africa declared its emergence in the world stage.
In their second match, the Super Eagles faced mighty Argentina who had the living legend Maradona, Gabriel ‘Batigoal’ Batistuta in their arsenal. Surprisingly enough, it was Nigeria who started the proceedings and took the lead with their current coach Samson Siasia scoring the opening goal in the eighth minute of the match. But, a much stronger Argentine side came back quickly in the game. Claudio Caniggia scored a brace to grab the win for the Albicelestes.
Greece stood next in Nigeria’s path to the second round and it was much of a one sided affair as the Super Eagles took a commanding lead in the 45 minute through Finidi George’s strike and who could forget the 90 minute strike from Daniel Amokachi from 30 yards out. The goal itself made it into the history books as one of the finest goals of the world cup.
Nigerians made it to the second round to face one of the favourites of the ’94 campaign, Roberto Baggio’s Italy who scored a brace for the Azzurris.
After their successful debut in the World Cup, everyone expected that Nigeria would continue to dominate in the world stage and even after qualifying for the 1998, 2002 and 2010 edition they failed to match their previous records.
However, with their lung-bursting runs down the both ends of the pitch, speedy movements, and powerful play in and around the box, Nigeria set the standards for the African brand of football and showed what it was all about. And the world knew, the Super Eagles were here to stay.