Nigeria Team Profile – 2010 FIFA World Cup
Nigeria – The country, the football
The Federal Republic of Nigeria, better known as Nigeria, is a West African country which is bordered by Benin, Chad, Cameroon, and Niger. Its coasts are also stretched out to the Gulf of Guinea, and to the Atlantic Ocean.
Nigeria – which has a total area of around 973,768 km2 – is the most populated territory on the African continent, and it is globally ranked in 8th position with an estimated population of about 154,729,000 people.
Along with politics, economy, and a few other social issues, football is the most interesting subject for the citizens of Nigeria. Their national football team, often referred to as the Super Eagles, is one of Africa’s best football teams, having succeeded in major competitions such as the Africa Cup of Nations, the All-Africa Games, the Afro-Asian Cup of Nations, and the CEDEAO Cup over the years.
Nigeria can also boast of having already tasted the pleasure of featuring in the FIFA World Cup and the Confederations Cup tournaments at least once in their history. This time around, the Super Eagles can once again feel proud of theirselves, having already booked their place in the 2010 FIFA World Cup finals, which will be held in South Africa.
Nigeria – The road to the 2010 FIFA World Cup
As giants, Nigeria skipped the First Round of the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifiers in Africa, being plunked in Pot A as top seeds ahead of the draw for the Second Round.
Second Round:.jpg)
There, 12 groups waiting for 48 African teams were empty – but on November 25th 2007, the Super Eagles were placed in Group 4. It meant that they had to play against 2010 FIFA World Cup hosts South Africa, Sierra Leone, and Equatorial Guinea.
Just as FIFA and the Confederation of African Football had agreed earlier on, the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations qualification was inserted in the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. Thus, teams were no longer playing only to travel to South Africa, but also were they fighting to at least reserve their place in the prestigious African tournament hosted by Angola in January 2010.
Of course, such a serious matter was no joke for Nigeria, and being aware of their capabilities, the Super Eagles were looking ahead to retrieving benefits from both competitions. The Second Round’s top seeds’ first game of the qualifiers against South Africa didn’t seem to pose them any problem, defeating the World Cup hosts 2-0 at the Abuja Stadium.
Sierra Leone then handed 3 more points over to the Super Eagles, after the Nigerians managed to steal a narrow 1-0 win against them. The same score line was then also applied on Equatorial Guinea in favor of Nigeria on June 15 2008; and by then, the African giants were allowed to believe that they were definitely their group’s hot favorite.
The return leg encounter between the Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea at the Abuja Stadium didn’t prove to be a better for the away side. On another occasion, the Guineans were overpowered by the home side who eventually beat them 2-0.
Two last wins for Nigeria, including a convincing 4-1 victory over Sierra Leone, sealed a perfect run for the Super Eagles in the Second Round – finishing their table with 6 wins out of a possible 6.
Third Round:
The draw for the Third Round subsequently occurred on October 22, 2008; splitting the 20 remaining sides into 5 groups of 4 teams. Again, ahead of this event, Nigeria were added to Pot 1, ensuring them an easy campaign afterwards. The Super Eagles then settled first in Group B, before Tunisia, Mozambique, and Kenya came to complete their table.
Next, 3 draws and 3 wins granted the Super Eagles the Group B’s top position after 6 games played, finishing with 12 points – either a single point ahead of runners-up Tunisia – to enter the 2010 FIFA World Cup finals, plus the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations finals.
Nigeria – 2010 Fifa World Cup group stage
December 4th 2009 was the date when the destiny of Nigeria in the 2010 FIFA World Cup group stages was revealed.
Having not been able to reach Pot 1 this time before the draw for the tournament’s finals, Nigeria were pushed into Pot 3. This negative circumstance let the Super Eagles expect at least one superlative side in their group, and indeed, their expectations happened to be quite close to the truth.
Group B was where they arrived on for another time, but then, things proved to be significantly tougher for them. Argentina, Korea Republic, and former European champions Greece were all meant to be the Super Eagles’ challengers in the finals. Undoubtedly, Nigeria have a lot to do in order to get themselves out this war in safe hands.
Match-day 1: Argentina vs Nigeria
The Ellis Park Stadium in Johannesburg will witness an interesting match between two strong forces on June 12th 2010, at 13:30 local time: it will be Argentina vs Nigeria. Nigeria missed their chance of getting familiar with the Albicelestes’ techniques under new coach Diego Maradona, after they saw their friendly match against the South Americans in November 2009 get cancelled.
As a result, the Super Eagles will need to get ready for an important encounter, but what is too bad for them is that Argentina’s wish to earn 3 points will be as strong as theirs, and thus, it will be difficult to smile at the end of 90 minutes.
Big stars such Lionel Messi, Carlos Tevez, and Sergio Aguero will probably all be lined-up for the Albicelestes, but Nigeria could respond with a set of dangerous players including Nwankwo Kanu, Yakubu Aiyegbeni, John Obi Mikel, Kalu Uche, Peter Odemwingie, and Obafemi Martins.
Match-day 2: Greece vs Nigeria
In their second game of the competition, Nigeria will be welcomed by Greece at the Free State in Bloemfontein, on 17 June 2010 at 14:00 GMT.
Greece are the former European champions, and over the years, it seems like they are becoming more and more experienced. Perchance, the Greeks’ only target in the match will be to bring down the Nigerians in order to get well-prepared ahead of their clash against top seeds Argentina.
Under-estimation will definitely be the last thing the Super Eagles will want to build their psychology on, before the beginning of proceedings.
Match-day 3: Nigeria vs Korea Republic
Korea Republic will be Nigeria’s third and final opponents in the group stage of the 2010 FIFA World Cup finals, and both sides will face each other on June 22nd 2010, at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban at 20:30 local time.
Korea Republic are considered as the underdogs of the tournament’s Group B; Nigeria should consequently be able to conquer the Asian giants, in an attempt to finish their group stage run in a very positive manner.
Nigeria – Quick Analysis: Expectations from the country and its stars
Nigeria football fans are certainly looking forward to entertaining moments when their national team begin their expedition in South Africa. Fortunately for them, they have several reasons to believe that the Super Eagles will not be disappointing, as renowned players will all be fighting on their side.
Among their stars, the most trusted ones are certainly none other than Nwankwo Kanu, Obafemi Martins, and Yakubu Aiyegbeni. These 3 Nigerian players will undoubtedly be asked to lead their national football team to glory comes June 2010.
Obafemi Martins:
The 25-year old forward is presently a Nigerian player having his name registered in Wolfsburg's senior football club in Germany. Obafemi Martins has so far played over 20 times for the Nigeria national football team.
As he began his career on a good note by attracting the interest of many people, Martins should take advantage of the 2010 FIFA World Cup to prove to his fans that he is still at his very best for the Super Eagles, and that his presence in the national team is even more useful than ever.
Yakubu Aiyegbeni:
The front player must be hoping to shine in South Africa. Unfortunately, his last 2 major national competitions (2006 and 2008 Africa Cup of Nations tournaments), didn’t seem to go so well for him.
Moreover, the Nigerian forward wasn’t able to power his side to the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. He will eventually gather all his strength ahead of the big moment in 2010, with the purpose of marking his name in the history of Nigerian football as a top hero.
Nigeria – Relevant Quote
Shaibu Amodu: “We need to progress to the knockout phase of the 2010 World Cup”
Nigerian coach Shaibu Amodu has expressed his yearning to reach the knockout stages of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. The manager believes this is the perfect opportunity for his side to elevate their point in the world, despite being aware of all the challenges they will have to overcome before succeeding.
“This is a very important competition for Nigeria and we are all aware of the expectations which are weighing on our shoulders. We are in a difficult group with Argentina, Greece and Korea Republic.
“This is a similar group to the one we had at the 1994 World Cup, and I do not want to talk about history, but people will remember how we performed at that particular tournament, even though people thought we would disappoint.
“This World Cup is an opportunity for other African football teams to showcase their ability to the rest of the world. The most important thing for Nigeria will be to do well in this competition, as our ultimate goal is to qualify into the knockout stages.
Nigeria – 2010 FIFA World Cup squad
Goalkeepers:
Vincent Enyeama; Austin Ejide; Dele Aiyenugba
Defenders:
Joseph Yobo; Taye Taiwo; Danny Shittu; Chidi Odiah; Elderson Echiejile; Rabiu Afolabi; Dele Adeleye
Midfielders:
John Utaka; Kalu Uche; John Obi Mikel; Haruna Lukman; Nwankwo Kanu; Sani Kaita; Dickson Etuhu; Yusuf Ayila
Strikers:
Peter Odemwingie; Chinedu Obasi; Obinna Nsofor; Obafemi Martins; Yakubu Aiyegbeni
Nigeria – FIFA World Cup record.jpg)
Nigeria have participated in the FIFA World Cup tournament 4 times in all, and below is their record in the competition:
2010: Qualified as participants
2002: Round 1
1998, 1994: Round of 16
Nigeria – 2010 FIFA World Cup Coverage
Don’t hesitate to visit LiveSoccerTV.com back for the latest information around Nigeria throughout the 2010 FIFA World Cup finals in South Africa, as the site brings you all the news including fixtures, results, profiles, previews, and videos on the Super Eagles.
Related Articles
- 2012 Africa Cup of Nations team profiles: Focus on Tunisia’s AFCON history
- 2012 Africa Cup of Nations team profiles: Focus on Senegal’s AFCON history
- 2012 Africa Cup of Nations team profiles: Focus on Morocco’s AFCON history
- 2012 Africa Cup of Nations team profiles: Focus on Guinea’s AFCON history
- Santos coach Ramalho believes "Neymar will be the best player in the world in 2014"
Member Sign In »
Related Articles
- 2012 Africa Cup of Nations team profiles: Focus on Tunisia’s AFCON history
- 2012 Africa Cup of Nations team profiles: Focus on Senegal’s AFCON history
- 2012 Africa Cup of Nations team profiles: Focus on Morocco’s AFCON history
- 2012 Africa Cup of Nations team profiles: Focus on Guinea’s AFCON history
- Santos coach Ramalho believes "Neymar will be the best player in the world in 2014"
- The 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup quarter-finals: 4 questions to ask
- England coach Fabio Capello to become a TV pundit as Three Lions will get busy
- 2014 FIFA World Cup draw—UEFA, CAF, AFC, CONMEBOL, CONCACAF, OFC & the groups
- Argentina and Nigeria to make a rematch on September 6, Siasia confirms
- 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup: Meet Group A’s Germany, Canada, Nigeria & France