Nigeria's Super Eagles got their World Cup campaign back on track with a 0-0 draw against Tunisia on Saturday.

The Super Eagles weathered a storm of heavy pressure from the Carthage Eagles in the early minutes and could have even nicked it in the final minutes but Mike Eneramo arrived too late to convert Osaze Odemwingie's well-crafted low cross.

Vincent Enyeama made a fine save early on, but the Tunisians struggled to break down the composed Nigerian defence.

Their best opportunities came from counterattcks, and two instances, from errors by the two centrebacks.

First Joseph Yobo was caught in possession, and needed to be rescued by his young partner Dele Adeleye. And late on, Adeleye himself was almost embarrassed when his short pass was picked up by a Tunisian forward, and Yobo had to come up with the face-saving tackle.

At the end though, both sides shared teh spoils, but it will be the Nigerians who come away the happier.

The D-Day is here. The Die is cast. Follow the match on our Livecast and post your thoughts.

Preview

Nigeria/Tunisia: Twice Thrashed, Thrice Terrified

Ikeddy Isiguzo

Vanguard

THE Super Eagles are being asked to work a miracle in Rades today. It is been awhile since they performed a wonder, any notable wonder. Over the years with the Eagles unpredictable flights, any victory, any good result has become something to clutch to, waiting for the big one, the waiting continues.

Special memories of Tunisia exist. Any Nigerian who has followed the Eagles World Cup ambitions would remember two of these incidents, both with painful endings.

Until 1970 when Africa was allocated a World Cup spot, the road to qualification was a long journey that commenced with emerging the African champion then engaging in play-offs against a team in Europe. When the single slot came, under the eight-team format of the World Cup, getting Africa's single ticket entailed the toughest continental encounters with the football bosses in Cairo manipulating the rules as they desired. FIFA's firm control of the qualifications never existed then.

CAF on its part experimented with some qualification methods including allowing the Africa Cup of Nations champion to be the winner of the ticket for 1974. Zaire's scandalous results, including the 9-0 loss to Yugoslavia, caused in a change of that format.

Tunisia has been to the World Cup twice at Nigeria's expense. Twelve years separate those shattering losses, but they are worth recounting as Tunisia stands between the Eagles and another World Cup ticket.

Under the care of the Yugoslav Father Tiko, Nigeria built its football to continental reckoning with a third place finishing at the 1976 Nations Cup in Ethiopia. Nigeria was therefore a top contender for the 1978 World Cup, with a team that Father Tiko had tuned to excellence, leading to the qualifiers.

The Eagles were in an incredible form. In 1976, they were tipped favourites for a medal at the Olympic Games that Nigeria boycotted in Montreal, Canada. The World Cup was their target, and it was essentially the same team that Father Tiko had prepared for the Olympics with few additions who had earned their wings, that he deployed for the assignment. They almost made it.

Tunis - 25 September 1977 was memorable for Nigeria in that World Cup campaign. The Eagles drew in Tunis against Tunisia in one of the closing games of the round robin World Cup qualifier, setting Nigeria on the road to the World Cup finals in Argentina. A draw at the National Stadium in Surulere would have seen the Eagles through after amassing points from games against Egypt.

Celebration was in the air; the chorus was that Nigeria, at 18, would play at the World Cup. Almost two months separated the Tunis leg from the return tie at the National Stadium, Lagos.

Those two months were wasted in the wrangling between IICC Shooting Stars of Ibadan and Rangers International of Enugu over the semi-final of their Africa Cup Winners Cup, possibly the most contentious game ever played in Nigeria. The two teams that supplied the bulk of the membership of the Eagles quarrelled intensely over the rules for their engagement. The biggest issue was which of their players would be released from the Eagles camp for the continental assignment.

Rangers wanted Emmanuel Okala, Eagles choice goalkeeper, Christian Chukwu, Eagles captain, as well as other players released for the game. IICC wanted Segun Odegbami, fearsome Eagles striker, Best Ogedegbe, Eagles reserve keeper and IICC's first choice, their captain Sam Ojebode and other players for the encounter. IICC were defending the trophy which they won in 1976.

A long drawn debate ensued on this. The NFA wanted to release a minimal number of players to the teams so that the preparations for the World Cup would continue. The practice then was for long camping for the Eagles all of whom were home based.

The number game, for releasing the players did not work. IICC argued that Okala was equivalent to four players and he alone should be released to Rangers, who on their part repeated the same argument for Odegbami. No agreement could be reached. The matter went all the way to Brigadier Shehu Musa Yar'Adua, Chief Staff, Supreme Headquarters (today's equivalent of the Vice President) who settled the rancour.

Yar'Adua posed with Chukwu and Ojebode at the centre of the National Stadium pitch in a last ditch effort to prove to Nigerians that the differences were over, and maybe to get the World Cup preparations on track. The pictures of the beaming faces made the front pages, the next day, in the few newspapers that were around then. It was too late - too much had gone into club for much to be left for country.

Some analysts blame the IICC-Rangers acrimonies for Nigeria' absence at the 1978 World Cup.

Lagos - 11 November 1977 saw the National Stadium stretched to its capacity. Every seat was taken. Eagles' fans wanted to be part of history when Nigeria would earn her first World Cup ticket. Things were going well until Godwin Odiye back headed to Okala who was off his line

The World Cup dreams evaporate with that goal. Odiye's career was over. He went abroad for further studies. More than two decades after, own goals are still referred to as Odiye, even by those who were not born by the time of this incident that saw a generation of enterprising Nigerian players not making it to the World Cup.

Twice Beaten: 1986 World Cup

Another notable futile attempt followed the 1977 debacle. On 3 October 1981 Algeria took the ticket from the Eagles at the National Stadium, in another disastrous outing that was unforgettable for the blunders that preceded it.

The Eagles had resoundingly defeated Algeria 3-0 in the 1980 Nations at the National Stadium, but the team that performed that feat had been depleted by retirements. The Eagles trained in (Reykjavik) Iceland and other snowy places in Europe for the game that was played in the heat of Lagos. The Algeria soaked the sun in Togo for months for the game. The NFA refused to listen to protests that the preparations were unsuitable. The 2-1 loss marked a definite dip in the Nigeria's game, including a remarkably poor defence of the Nations Cup title.

Lagos - 29 June 1985, few would forget Okey Isima's crackling shot that gave the Eagles a lone goal victory at the National Stadium. Fears about the Eagles chance of making the World Cup grew after the game in which Tunisia dwelt more on containing the host. John Fashanu was to feature for Nigeria's, but some tardiness with his passport (reminds one of today's challenges with visas and connecting flights) ensured it never happened. Everyone looked to the return leg with trepidation. Late in 1984, Tunisia trounced the Eagles 5-0 in a friendly in Tunis. The usual thoughtless arrangements were in place, the team arrived late and plunged into a game that psychologically devastated it.

Tunis - 12 July 1985, the leafy surroundings wrapped up El Manseh Stadium in a way that the late arriving Nigerian supporting party wondered if it was on the right way to the match venue. The packed stadium roared with every Tunisian move. The conditions were chilly, made more so by the fact that Nigeria had no chance in the game. The Tunisians had speed, and used it.

The strategy was to break the stronger side of the Nigerian defence which Yisa Sofoluwe, until then considered unassailable, manned. The Tunisians for the first 20 minutes initiated all their attacks through that flank and wore Sofoluwe out.

Godwin Ekeh handled the other side, notoriously weaker - the Tunisians did not bother with him. After Sofoluwe was spent, the Tunisians had a time of their lives, choosing from where to attack. Their 2-0 victory was a poor testimony to a performance that left Peter Rufai hoarse from calling his players to offer what they did not have.

Rades - 20 July 2009, venue of today's defining encounter, with its 80,000 capacity stadium, is a deliberate choice of the Tunisians to muster a vociferous home support against the Eagles, who flew to the precipice at the opening of the critical stages of this campaign with a drawn game in Maputo. Tunisia is clinging to the advantage it earned on opening day with a sterling way victory over Kenya.

Tunisia has a reputation for staging home games only where it expects to exert maximum advantage. Souse, for example is the venue of choice when it wants to confront opponents with the best wintry conditions.

If we are to take the preparations from the perspective of the poorly executed trip to Malta, it is obvious that the programming is badly executed. Some members of the Eagles were still winging their way to Rades by Thursday - the two weeks since the Abuja euphoria were wasted.

The challenge would be for the coach Amodu Shuaibu to make the most of the team. He has done well with certain players in the last three matches. He would be courting disaster if he bows to pressure to change the players that are shaping into a team.

Rades is more important than most people realise. The Eagles must get at least a draw to postpone the verdict to September 5 in Abuja: 77 days away. With a draw in Rades the Eagles must win in Abuja to overtake Tunisia, with one point and hopefully not stumble again.

Amodu is at the most critical moment of his coaching career. Perhaps, if Amodu is able to halt these bad memories of Tunisia and our World Cup attempts, he would have earned the respect of Nigerians who are ever so generous with their compliments.

Perhaps...

Big-K  # 1 | 19.06.2009 14:41

Folks, Look out for NVS Live Audio cast of this match. World Cup Qualifying Preview: Tunisia - Nigeria The two teams are locked in a crucial game with the final outcome expected to determine who picks the ticket to the 2010 World Cup... 18 Jun 2009 12:49:39 Related Links World Cup/Nations Cup Qualifier, Saturday, June 20, 2009 November 7 Stadium Rades, near Tunis Tunisia Under Pressure To Win Hosts Tunisia will be under a great deal of pressure to maintain their perfect record against a Nigerian team, whose spirits have been lifted by a big win over Kenya at home two weeks ago. The Carthage Eagles got their qualifying campaign off to a winning start with a 2-1 win away in Kenya, and two weeks ago, they outscored a stubborn Mozambique 2-0 to go two points clear of nearest rivals Nigeria. Group Two was always going to be a two-horse race between Nigeria and Tunisia and so it has been. The pressure though appears to be catching up on the North Africans after they struggled to beat the Mambas of Mozambique a fortnight ago in front of their own fans. Matches between these two countries have often been very tightly fought affairs, so much so that their last clash at the 2006 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt was only decided by sudden death. Nigeria barely shaved it 7-6 on penalties after the scores stood at 1-1 even after extra-time. The home team, who prepared for this tie in Portugal, will be without several key players including the suspended Sochaux defender, Yassine Mikari. Eagles Super Confident Ahead Epic Battle Both the public and press tore into the Super Eagles after they failed to beat Mozambique in Maputo in March. That may well have got them to raise their game leading to a 3-0 home win over Kenya two weeks ago. The Eagles achieved this result without several of their top stars like Joseph Yobo, Mikel John Obi and Taye Taiwo, who were dropped for staying away from recent friendlies. All has now been forgiven, and after a short training stint in Malta, Nigeria are in a better shape for a game they cannot afford to lose. Against Kenya in Abuja, the experimental defence parading the likes of Sam Sodje, Dele Adeleye and Elderson Echiejile gifted the Harambee Stars at least two sitters, which the East Africans failed to put away. Coach Shuaibu Amodu is now expected to recall the more experienced Yobo and Taiwo to the back four. Chelsea midfielder Mikel will also likely regain his place in the starting XI particularly in the absence of Dynamo Kiev star Yusuf Ayila, who was left out of the trip to Malta after a heart scare. Ahead of this match, Mikel said: "There is nothing special about Tunisia, so there is nothing that will stop us from winning in Tunis because we have a better squad. It is either we win, or say goodbye to the World Cup, even though we know that a draw will still keep the race wide open." One face on the Nigerian team that is very familiar to the Tunisians will be striker Michael Eneramo, top scorer in the Tunisian league with 18 goals for champions Esperance. Could he now be the one to wreck the Tunisians' World Cup dream? FORM GUIDE Nigeria June 7, 2009 - Nigeria 3 Kenya 0 June 2, 2009 - France 0 Nigeria 1 May 29, 2009 - Republic of Ireland 1 Nigeria 1 March 29, 2009 - Mozambique 0 Nigeria 0 Tunisia June 6, 2009 - Tunisia 2 Mozambique 0 May 28, 2009 - Tunisia 4 Sudan 0 March 28, 2009 - Kenya 1 Tunisia 2 TEAM NEWS Nigeria Skipper Nwankwo Kanu will win his 80th cap should he be involved in Saturday's game. He made his Eagles debut in May 1994 against Sweden. Officials have insisted that there is no friction between the Presidential task force on the World Cup and the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) despite reports in the media to the contrary. The Eagles have again been promised a hefty win bonus of $250,000. Besides the $5,000-a-player for the victory over Kenya, they were also paid a special bonus of $200,000. Hoffenheim forward Chinedu Ogbuke-Obasi is not part of the team as he is yet to fully recover from a hip injury. Squad: Goalkeepers - Vincent Enyeama(Hapoel Tel Aviv/ISR), Austin Ejide (Bastia/FRA), Dele Aiyenugba (Bnei-Yehuda/ISR) Defenders – Onyekachi Apam (Nice/FRA), Yusuf Mohammed (FC Sion/SWI), Joseph Yobo (Everton/ENG), Danny Shittu (Bolton/ENG), Obinna Nwaneri (FC Sion/SWI), Taye Taiwo (Olympique Marseille/FRA), Elderson Echiejile (Rennes/FRA), Dele Adeleye (Sparta Rotterdam/NED), Olubayo Adefemi (SC Rheindorf Altach/AUS) Midfielders - John Mikel Obi (Chelsea/ENG), Sani Kaita (FC Kuban/RUS), Seyi Olofinjana (Stoke City/ENG), Kalu Uche (Almeria/SPA), Oluwafemi Ajilore (FC Groningen/NED), Dickson Etuhu (Fulham/ENG) Forwards - Nwankwo Kanu (Portsmouth/ENG), Osaze Odemwingie (Locomotiv Moscow/RUS), Obinna Nsofor (Inter Milan/ITA), Ikechukwu Uche (Getafe/SPA), Joseph Akpala (Club Brugges/BEL) Tunisia The team's leading scorer, Issam Jemaa (knee) and Lassaad Nouioui (hamstring) have been ruled out of the all-important clash as a result of injury. Star defender Karim Hagui, one of the few survivors from the team that lost to Nigeria in Port Said, Egypt, three years ago, could also be an injury doubt. Squad: Hamdi Kasraoui, Aymen Matthlouthi, Jassem Khaloufi Radhi Jaidi, Sami Allagui, Aymen Abdennour, Tijani Belaid, Fahd Ben Khalfallah, Wissem Ben Yahia, Anis Boussaidi, Amine Chermiti, Oussama Darragi, Radhouane Felhi, Seif Ghezel, Karim Hagui, Chadi Hammami, Bilel Ifaa, Ammar Jmel, Khaled Korbi, Houcine Ragued, Khaled Souissi, Ali Zitouni. PLAYERS TO WATCH Nigeria - Ikechukwu Uche: His early strike set the team on the victory path against Kenya. He has been a consistent scorer for the national team since his debut two years ago. His pace and dribble runs will certainly trouble the Tunisian defence. Skipper Radhi Jaidi would certainly not cherish this clash. Tunisia - Chaouki Ben Saada – Comfortable either as an attacking midfielder or a striker. He played for many years at modest Bastia despite interest from bigger clubs. In the summer though he finally moved to Nice. He represented France at the 2001 Under-17 World Cup before he opted for Tunisia four years ago. PREDICTION Expect the Tunisians to control the game, but Nigeria will only be too happy with a smash-and-grab style that will earn them all three points. The end justifies the means. Tunisia 0 Nigeria 1 Samm Audu, Goal.com

valteena  # 2 | 19.06.2009 14:47

That would be great :clap::clap:. Would be watching the match anyway but better still to be able to watch it on NVS.

Big-K  # 3 | 19.06.2009 16:08

Hey Valteena, Our color commentary will be AUDIO only....but it should be thoroughly enjoyable still btw....are you the same Valteena at Chesspark?

valteena  # 4 | 19.06.2009 17:03

=Big-K;364926>Hey Valteena, Our color commentary will be AUDIO only....but it should be thoroughly enjoyable still btw....are you the same Valteena at Chesspark? Ha ha ha you don catch me out kwo :D.

Lalakokofefe  # 5 | 19.06.2009 17:10

Anyone know where the match will be streamed?

aringaranso  # 6 | 20.06.2009 11:50

=Lalakokofefe;364940>Anyone know where the match will be streamed? I think it will be on nkora.net and justintv.

Balo  # 7 | 20.06.2009 11:51

I beg when this match dey start and on which channel/channels it is to be shown?

aringaranso  # 8 | 20.06.2009 11:51

Our starting XI Enyeama - Taiwo, Yobo, Adeleye, Adefemi - Olofinjana, Mikel, Kalu Uche - Ikechukwu uche, Osaze Odemwingie, Michael Eneramo. http://www.goal.com/en/news/89/africa/2009/06/20/1336800/world-cup-nigeria-make-four-changes-for-tunisia-game

Robot  # 9 | 20.06.2009 12:42

The D-Day is here. The Die is cast.Follow the match on our Livecast and post your thoughts. Preview Nigeria/Tunisia: Twice Thrashed, Thrice Terrified Ikeddy Isiguzo Vanguard THE Super Eagles are being asked to work a miracle in Rades today. It is been awhile since they performed a wonder, any notable wonder. Over the years with the Eagles unpredictable flights, any victory, any good result has become something to clutch to, waiting for the big one, the waiting continues. Special memories of Tunisia exist. Any Nigerian who has followed the Eagles World Cup ambitions would remember two of these incidents, both with painful endings. Until 1970 when Africa was allocated a World Cup spot, the road to qualification was a long journey that commenced with emerging the African champion then engaging ...Read the full article.

Robot  # 10 | 20.06.2009 12:44

Rades is more important than most people realise. The Eagles must get at least a draw to postpone the verdict to September 5 in Abuja: 77 days away. With a draw in Rades the Eagles must win in Abuja to overtake Tunisia, with one point and hopefully not stumble again....Read the full article.

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