Flashback: How Nigeria Lifted The 2013 Africa Cup Of Nations
The Super Eagles of Nigeria qualified for the 2013 Africa Cup Of Nations in South Africa having missed out on the previous edition co-hosted by Gabon and Equatorial Guinea a year earlier. They team had a lot to prove to doubters and they did just that. Relive the moments….
Written by Jacobs Dunga
The Super Eagles of Nigeria bettered Liberia over two legs in the final qualifying round of the 2013 African cup of nations. The Nigerian team got to the main tournament as one of the strong favorites and were drawn in group C alongside 1998 hosts and eventual finalists, Burkina Faso, 1962 champions, Ethiopia and the defending champions, Zambia who had recently won in 2012 with their golden generation of players.
The Nigerian team was led by the late Stephen Okechukwu Keshi who himself captained Nigeria to victory in 1994 on Tunisian soil. Nigeria would fail to win any of its first two games, drawing against Burkina Faso 1-1 followed by another score draw against the defending champions. Nigeria filed out in a 4-3-3 formation preferred by then head coach, late Keshi. Joseph Yobo was the leader of the pack flanked by emerging Godfrey Oboabona of Sunshine stars in the Nigerian local league with Efe Ambrose of Celtic in Scotland and Elderson Echiejile of Monaco as wide defenders. Vincent Enyeama was arguably the best goalkeeper in Africa at the time and he was solid in between the sticks for the African giants.
Mikel Obi who had just won the UEFA Champions League with Chelsea FC of England anchored the midfield and was complemented by the more tenacious Fegor Ogude and the skillful Nosa Igiebor. Keshi opted for power and pace upfront with CSKA Moskva forward, Ahmed Musa causing problems for opponents with his blistering pace while eventual golden boot winner, Emmanuel Emenike and the more physically present Brown Ideye completed the front three.
Emenike would put the Super Eagles ahead in the 23rd minute and in the driving seat until Efe Ambrose got himself sent off in the 74th minute for a second bookable offense. The Burkinababes mounted pressure and were duly rewarded at the death with Traore netting the equalizer in the fourth minute of added time to break the heart of millions of watching Nigerians. It wasn’t the start many expected from the then two-time champions considering the wealth of talents at the disposal of coach Stephen Keshi. There was some sort of relief for Nigeria as the other group game involving Ethiopia and defending champions Zambia also ended in a draw. A disappointing result it was from the Super Eagles but there were two more games to right the wrongs in the group stages.
The next test was against the much talked about Zambians who were determined to have their title well defended. Kenneth Omeruo who came in for skipper Joseph Yobo was preferred from the start to partner Oboabona in the heart of the defence while Chelsea’s Victor Moses started ahead of Ideye. The midfield was unchanged and yet again it was Emmanuel Emenike who got us underway with a well taken goal in Nelspruit after 57 minutes of end-to-end action. Obiora Nwankwo would replace Fegor Ogude in the 76th minute for his first appearance in the tournament while Brown Ideye replaced Victor Moses as the Super Eagles tried to extend their lead. Nigerian hearts were shattered once more as it happened in the first game when a penalty was awarded to Zambia in the 85th minute, goalkeeper Kennedy Mweene stepped up to slot past Vincent Enyeama to force the Super Eagles to a draw.
Criticism was beginning to set in at this time as fans back home wanted more from a team they believed had everything and thus they felt they deserved better than what those players were giving. There were calls for some players to be dropped and chances given to aspiring ones. The coach wasn’t happy that the team had surrendered a lead in two games which was evident of a poor character on the side of the team. There wasn’t discipline in the team and it looked like the journey was coming to and end with just two points out of a possible six. Nigerians would lay into them if they were ousted in the group stages. Anything short of bringing home the trophy would be seen as failure for the most populous black nation.
Roya Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg was the venue for the last group game against Ethiopia, taking the Nigerians away from Nelspruit for the first time in the tournament. The coach made two changes to the team that started against Zambia with Sunday Mba preferred to Nosa Igiebor while while Ikechukwu Uche who had been a substitute in the first two games got the chance from the start in place of Ahmed Musa. The Ethiopians defended deep and seemed to cause problems on counter, they needed a victory while Nigeria were hoping to better the result of the Zambians as they were both tied on two points. The East Africans made things difficult for Nigeria defending so deep and compactly so. Musa replaced the ineffective Uche while Brown Ideye came on for the now tired Emenike who had scored all of the Super Eagles’ goals leading to the last group game.
Frustrations began to set it with fans back home already throwing shades of blames. There was going to be a head way in the 80th minute when the referee awarded a penalty to the men in white, Victor Moses stepped up and coolly dispatched to revive the hope of 180 million Nigerians. At this point the Ethiopians were broken and down with another penalty conceded in the space of jus ten minutes. It was a meltdown for a team who had defended with their lives for eighty good minutes, Moses once again slotted home the resulting kick to hand the super Eagles their first victory of the tournament. Burkina Faso’s goalless draw would mean Nigeria finished second behind the Burkinababes.
Nigeria got the toughest draw in the quarter finals as a result of their second place finish and had to face the best team on African soil in Ivory Coast. With players like Emmanuel Eboue, Yaya Toure, Gervinho, Salomon Kalou, and the late Cheick Tiote, Didier Drogba, it seemed like the end of the road for Nigeria. Nigeria started a game in the tournament for the first time as underdogs. The game was void of opportunities in the opening exchanges, the Ivorians caused problems for the Nigerians as the game wore on. Expectedly so, considering the array of talents at their disposal. The young Kenneth Omeruo was giving Didier Drogba a fight while Mikel Obi and Yaya Toure brought their EPL rivalry to the African scene.
It was Nigeria who drew the first blood when usual suspect, Emmanuel Emenike put them ahead in the 43rd minute for his third of the tournament. Ivory Coast would then respond with a goal of their own five minutes after the restart, late Tiote finished from inside the area to peg back the Nigerians. Ogenyi Onazi who was starting his first game since the beginning of the tournament was lethargic in d middle of the pack and covered grounds to neutralize Yaya Toure to an extent giving freedom to Mikel Obi to control the flow of the game. The game wore on until the 78th minute when a ball fell kindly for young sensation Sunday Mba whose shot was helped in off a deflection from an Ivorian defender to put Nigeria ahead for the second time in the game and deservedly so with twelve minutes left to play plus added time. The Nigerian coach, late Stephen Keshi didn’t make a substitution until the last minutes of added time when skipper, Joseph Yobo who had lost his place to emerging Omeruo came on in place of Victor Moses. A time wasting change you would say. The referee blew for the end of the game and against all odds Nigeria were in the semi finals of the AFCON after missing out entirely on the last edition.
Mali had dispatched hosts, South Africa on penalties in the previous round and would face Nigeria in the semi finals at the Moses Mabhida stadium in Durban which had 54,000 fans in attendance. Led by the vastly experienced and well travelled Seidu Keita and former Liverpool star, Mohamed Sissoko, Mali wasn’t in for a joke in the tournament. Late Stephen Keshi kept the same team that dispatched Ivory Coast in the last game and it was Echiejile who surprisingly put Nigeria ahead in the 25th minute with a well drilled shot before Ideye doubled the advantage five minutes later. Emenike would score a third just before halftime and it was becoming a stroll for the two times African champions. What an irony of a game.
Keshi replaced Moses in the 53rd minute to have him rested for the final and his replacement Ahmed Musa worsened matters for the Malians, just seven minutes after his introduction to put the game to bed. Ejike Uzoenyi of Rangers international of Nigeria would take the place of Ideye for his tournament debut just before Diarra pulled a goal back for the Malians but it counted for little as the Super Eagles were on a course.
After overcoming Ghana on penalties in the semi-finals, Burkina Faso set up a rematch of the opening game in group C, both teams who had put in assiduous and rigorous work shedding blood and sweat on the green grass arrived at the finals with same objective of becoming African champions. Burkina Faso wanted their first trophy while Nigeria were hoping to end a 19-year wait for a third crown. The FNB stadium, Johannesburg was the host and there were 85,000 fans present to see the final of the AFCON 2013.
Ikechukwu Uche started in place of top scorer Emenike who missed the final. His first game since the group stages. Captained by the energetic Charles Kabore and led upfront by the bulky Aristide Bance whilst having Jonathan Pitroipa causing menace from the wings and the almost impregnable defence led by Bakary Kone, the Burkinababes weren’t up for frivolities. It was battle from the get-go as there were tackles traded with both teams maintaining compactness while surging forward at intervals. It was more of a tactical feud between Stephen Keshi and Paul Put. There was going to be an awakening in the 40th minute when a pass found young prodigy, Sunday Mba who skinned a Burkinababe defender before releasing a volley past Daouda Diakite in goal for Burkina Faso.
There were wild jubilations and excitement in the stands as Nigeria were on course to lift their first title in 19 years. The game wore on gradually with Nigeria defending compactly allowing little space, for Pitroipa, it was a frustrating night as he was closed down on the left while Bance’s channel of supply was cut from the midfield. There was time for Juwon Oshaniwa to have his debut when he replaced Echiejile in the 67th minute. There was to be no late surge from the Burkinababes as Nigeria sealed victory in a resounding way after a rather slow start.
The team was widely celebrated back home in Nigeria and the president at the time,Goodluck Jonathan bestowed the contingent with national honors. Nigeria would go on to miss the opportunity to defend her title at the next edition in Equatorial Guinea.
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