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| Sports |
| Flames crushed |
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by
Garry Chirwa, 09 June 2003
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08:43:56
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Nigeria 4- Malawi 1
Red-hot hitman Essau Kanyenda sent tremors across newly built Abuja National Stadium in Nigeria on Saturday with an early strike that briefly stunned the West Africans into a cathedral-mute silence before the mighty Super Eagles quashed the lead barely two minutes later and went on to blow out the Flames 4-1 in an African Nations Cup qualifier.
The win virtually guarantees Nigeria’s qualification for the 2004 Nations Cup finals in Tunisia, as they top group one with seven points while the Flames have three points from three games, they will take on Angola on June 21 in their last qualifying match in Luanda.
Flames coach Alan Gillett said in a telephone interview from Abuja on Sunday morning that his troops gave the Eagles too much respect in the first half in which they conceded all the four goals.
“Well, in the first half we started very well but it was disappointing to let them come back so easily...it must have been out of excitement that we had taken the lead.
“Perhaps it was not easy for the players to believe that they had taken the lead against a team like Nigeria. We probably gave them too much respect in the first half but this is understandable because they were playing against highly respected players like Nwankwo Kanu,” noted Gillett.
He added that the Flames gave away possession too easily and the wet conditions also added to their woes.
“It had been raining cats and dogs prior to the game and the pitch was very slippery making it very difficult for us to play our game,” said the coach.
Asked about officiation, Gillett said: “Of course when they scored their third goal, the linesman’s flag was already up but we certainly cannot blame the match officials for the loss, we were playing against an experienced big side and we lost the game.”
However, Gillett said despite an intimidating atmosphere prior to the game, the actual match was a very good experience for his charges.
“The whole build-up was very poor. We were treated very badly by the Nigeria FA but I should say playing against a big team like Nigeria on their home soil was a very good experience for the players.
“We came out very strong in the second half in which we prevented them from scoring with our ‘keeper Phillip Nyasulu keeping out three close attempts but we did not create enough chances,” explained Gillett.
The coach said he was particularly impressed with the performance of central midfielders Peter Mgangira and Robert ‘Baggio’ Ng’ambi.
England-based forwards Yakubu Aiyegbeni and Kanu struck a double each to put the Eagles on the path to Tunisia next year. Aiyegbeni struck in the 10th and 16th minutes while Kanu was on target in the 22nd and 35th minutes.
According to www.kickoffnigeria.com, the fourth goal by Kanu was classy. He dribbled past a clutch of stunned Malawian defenders, leaving them embarrassingly in his wake before slotting the ball past a stranded Nyasulu.
The game was pretty much dominated by Nigeria and they should have scored more than the four first half goals, Utaka and Kanu had opportunities to score more goals.
In the second half, Nyasulu did a good job of keeping Malawi’s loss within respectable levels, stopping goal bound shots from Perugia striker Christian Obodo.
Nigerian star player Austin ‘Jay Jay’ Okocha did not play due to a rumoured passport problem.
Team line-ups
Nigeria - Vincent Enyeama, George Abbey, Ifeanyi Udeze, Seyi Olofinjana, Isaac Okoronkwo, Romanus Orjinta, John Utaka, Nwankwo Kanu, Yakubu Aiyegbeni, Christian Obodo, Ifeanyi Ekwueme
Malawi - Philip Nyasulu, Maupo Msowoya, Allan Kamanga, Peter Mgangira, Russel Mwafulirwa, Essau Kanyenda, Joseph Gatros, Itai Nundwe (Lackson Mtambo), Moses Chavula (Heston Munthali), Robert Ng’ambi, Fisher Kondowe (Dan Chitsulo) |
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