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The Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2019 ended on July 19 with Algeria’s 1-0 defeat of Senegal in the final match played at the Cairo International Stadium. With the victory, Algeria emerged champions for a second time. Algeria first won the continental showpiece competition in 1990. Nigeria had earlier defeated Tunisia 1-0 to clinch the third position.
The 2019 AFCON was the first time 24 teams participated in the football competition. The expanded format was the major reason the hosting right was taken from Cameroon and given to Egypt. There were no untoward incidents, contrary to the fears expressed in some quarters before the commencement of the competition due to the tensed political atmosphere elicited by the sudden death of former Egyptian President, Mohamed Morsi.
We commend the countries that took part in the AFCON, especially debutants like Madagascar, Tanzania, Burundi and Benin. Having benefitted from the expanded team format, they seized the opportunity to showcase their talents. Madagascar was particularly impressive, beating Nigeria to top the group. They crashed out of the tournament in the quarter finals having lost 3-0 to Tunisia. They and the other first-timers had proved that no team should be underrated in football.
Football has become an arena where nations show their strengths. And no country wants to be left behind. This can explain why Nigeria fought hard to finish third for the eighth time in the history of the competition. Although the Super Eagles’ performance fell below the expectations of many Nigerians, it is better than not winning any medal. Nigerians had expected the Super Eagles to win the trophy. Nigeria won the Cup in 1980, 1994 and 2013.
The Super Eagles did not play so well. Their performance was not inspiring. While their performance against Cameroon in the Round of 16 was probably their best, they were lethargic at the group stage, beating Burundi and Guinea by the slim margins, before capitulating to Madagascar, 2-0. Their performance against South Africa in the quarter finals was good (2-1), but against Algeria in the semi-finals, the Super Eagles could not seize the initiative. It was no surprise that they fell to the strike by Algeria’s Riyad Mahrez towards the end of the match. It was a very painful loss considering that Nigeria beat Algeria a few months ago before the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
With AFCON over, now is the time to begin the preparation for the next AFCON and others ahead. The next AFCON will hold in Cameroon in 2021. Nigeria is in Group L, with Lesotho, Sierra Leone and Benin. The next World Cup to be hosted by Qatar is one year away. There is a lot of work ahead for the national team. Therefore, if the experience from the recent AFCON is anything to go by, we cannot take any team for granted in any competition. The goalkeeping department was the weakest, with Coach Gernot Rohr not too sure of his first choice. Rohr experimented with the three goalkeepers, starting with Daniel Akpeyi to Ikechukwu Ezenwa and Francis Uzoho. Nigeria deserves better, and we believe that the youthful Uzoho holds a lot of promise. Having played at the World Cup, what he needs now is a good club in Europe, which would guarantee him enough playing time.
The defence needs improvement. The wing back positions need to be strengthened. Ola Aina and Jamiu Collins were good and with the return of Tyronne Ebuehi, the future can only get better. Nigeria needs playmakers and creative players in the mid-field. If these departments are reinforced, the attacking qualities of our present goal-poachers would definitely improve.
We commend the winners of the AFCON, Algeria, who together with finalist, Senegal accounted for nine of the AFCON XI. Their coach, Djamel Belmadi, was the coach of the tournament. Goalkeeper, Rais M’Bolhi, won the Golden Glove and Ismail Bennacer was the Most Valuable Player of the tournament. There was room for Saido Mane of Senegal in the AFCON XI and Odion Ighalo of Nigeria who won the Golden Boot with five goals.
