Nigeria's Impressive Display Against Brazil. Tammy What?

We've always questioned our team's ability to perform when it comes to important matches - especially against big teams. They always falter after getting their confidence all jiggled up and their motivation all watered down but hey! There were positives to take home after this international friendly. Both teams came into this match against the backdrop of poor results. Having consistently drawn and lost most of their recent games. Many may have think its just a friendly with no much to it but each team's reputation was at stake so it was every bit as important a competitive match - a mini one though. Talk of the star studded Brazilian squad.

Brazil put Nigeria on pressure early on with a quick fire chance that almost went in. I particularly have thought - after the first match that it was going to be a long unending nightmare. Giving the fact that we're just recovering from our loss to Togo. We were facing a much better and way more experienced team that could have slapped us in the face and gotten away with it but we responded brilliantly. We responded not with face-palm worthy gameplay but in an intriguing fashion.

We were not keeping possession and stonewalling the opponents, we were not stringing passes across the field comfortably, we were not closing in on their box 18 at every 10 seconds interval, we were doing the exact opposite! We were okay with being at the receiving end, only that we had to be extremely disciplined and we looked to hit the opposing team on the counter attack at every slight chance. It was Iwobi who flew in a long ball which was brilliantly controlled by Osimhen. He drove his shot from the left wing right at goal but it was met by a save from Ederson. 1-1!

No, I was talking about the shots...

We came under intense pressure from Brazil, trying to penetrate the back line at every available attempt but they fell short to disciplined play. Injury concerns came in for Brazil after Neymar pulled up an hamstring injury, he was immediately replaced by an equally ferocious Coutinho, they were not going to put the foot off the gas. It was in this tense moment that Nigeria ironically found more confidence to move up the pitch and take the play off dangerous areas. It could have passed as rebellious kicks from a dying horse but it struck as a temporary relief for Nigerians.

We gave them a hint of a potential shocker in the 16th minute when Marquinhos almost turned the ball into his own net. It was Chukwueze at the center of it all after he whipped a dangerous cross into Brazil's 18-yard-box. The former was there to clear it out but it was a terrible attempt that would have dramatically put Nigeria ahead. It sailed over the bar but it was a close call, it was a heart-in-throat moment for the Brazilians. Game on!

This time the tempo was upped by the Nigerians, increasing the spate of their counter attack. But these the Brazilians saw no more than a poke in their nest. They reacted in style. But for the erratic Goalkeeper Uzoho, they would have gone ahead with the two consecutive chances they had. It was Gabriel Jesus who latched unto a cross from Casemiro, heading towards the outstretched Uzoho who parried it away with his two hands. The other chance came after a great footwork by Phillip Countinho which left Ajayi a laboured bystander. He then squared it for Firminho whose first time shot was saved by Uzoho, yet again!

It was like a subtle reminder from Brazil that they are not asleep but we were not fazed by it. It only pushed them into opening the scoring. Osimehn dips in a dangerous shot into the box 18 which finds Simon who calmly passed it to the onrushing Aribo. Energetic he was as he sprinted past a Brazilian defender, cutting another on his goal-bound dash before reflexively putting it past the laboured Ederson. 0-1 it was! Strange? Strange...

It was indeed a strange event which Brazil didn't envisage so they came out in a more aggressive manner. Till the end of the first half, it was all nervy for Nigeria as Brazil fired from all angles. The closest they came to restoring parity was in the 44th minute when a foul was made outside the Nigerian box-18 and Phillip Countinho took the set-piece. His curler was able to get past the wall but it couldn't find the target as it sailed harmlessly wide. Half time! A possessive team vs a counter attacking team. The latter were holding up. But it was just for the moment.

Breathless was it in the second half. We didn't even have time to relish our lead before the score was leveled. We had tried so hard up to that point and like a ticking time bomb below a powder keg, it was only a matter of time before we saw a goal at our end. Maybe if we had held on the more, it could have been avoided but then a pity-party doesn't do any good. It was the favourites vs the underdogs.

The winning goal failed to come from either side. While it was Nigeria at one end trying to keep the Brazilians in check, it was the Brazilians on the other end trying to keep the ball out of their own half. So the pressure became intense but it didn't yield anything for the Brazilians. Are the Brazilian forwards to blame or are the Nigerian defenders to be complemented. The latter is the case because they actually gave alot just to make sure they are square. There could be alot of potentials in our attack and Gennet Rohr may not be doing enough to utilize them which isn't good enough. We are not Atlethico Madrid that can still fair well by letting well alone. By the way, we have everything we need in this squad and those still hesitant about their choice of Nigeria as their international team should know that we can fair well without 'em.

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