Nigeria's Super Eagles are one of the last four teams in the semifinals of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, Soccernet.ng reports.
The three-time AFCON winners reached this stage after defeating Angola's Palancas Negras 1-0 in the quarterfinals.
The triumph over the Angolans is Nigeria's fourth consecutive victory at the continental championship after beating hosts Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, and former champions Cameroon.
Currently the highest-ranking nation at the AFCON, Nigeria are now the firm favourites to lift the trophy and add to their glorious outings in 1980, 1994, and 2013.
However, two-time chairman of Gombe United Football Club, Alhaji Ahmed Shuaibu Gara Gombe, is not convinced that the Super Eagles deserved to be in the semifinals of the AFCON.
Not particularly impressed with the nature of the Super Eagles' victories – Nigeria have recorded three slim 1-0 wins – Gara Gombe believes the team has been riding on luck to win games.
Alhaji Gombe says the Jose Peseiro-tutored team lacks quality in midfield and coordination in attack, which is why the best of Africa Footballer of the Year Victor Osimhen has not yet been seen.
“We (the Super Eagles) are still wobbling, but we are moving,” Gara Gombe told Daily Trust.
“We are moving by luck. There is still no coordination. If we win this tournament, the credit must go to God.
“The technical crew have no input in this team as we are not scoring goals as it should be. We relied on Osimhen to score, but he is busy running up and down, and that is because he is not getting the services required from the midfield.”
However, Gara Gombe, the youngest-ever Match Commissioner in the history of Nigeria football, has applauded the Super Eagles' defence, marshalled by goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali, for their excellent displays.
Nwabali has kept four consecutive clean sheets at the AFCON, the first Nigerian goalkeeper to achieve that in 44 years.
“The only stand-out player for me is the goalkeeper,” Gara Gombe added.
“I must say the defence has been very good as well, but the midfield and attack, if Angola had scored that goal that hit the post, what would have happened?”
Nigeria's Super Eagles are two wins away from lifting the 34th edition of the AFCON and have set up a semifinal date with South Africa's Bafana Bafana on Wednesday.
Gara Gombe or what’s his name. Are these the people you called expert.
So a win over Cote D’Ivoire and Cameron and Angola is on luck. Het a terrible thing to say. Well I am not surprised because they are chairmen of clubs in the abysmal npfl.
These are really clueless administrators
He is probably watching another tournament. This team has played one of best football I have seen any African team play in a along time and how this equals to luck I need him to explain
, honestly this man shocked me
I totally agree with this commentator, Gombe is not an expert as claimed by this writer, the national team are doing their best in this ongoing AFCON we are creating chances and our depends almost solid so far so good.
Please don’t call him an expert. He doesn’t know football. I guess the Mourinho’s Inter Milan and Chelsea that won the Champions League won it out of luck. Soccernet should know how to designate people please. He’s not an expert.
pls for God sake don’t call this man expert cos he don’t no anything about football forget the tag u guys give him and he is jealous of this supper eagles manage cos he was expecting him to fail but the man is riding high and he is not happy.oga this team is doing us proud and the whole Nigerians is happy with them cos they r playing well and becos they playing well they winning not luck as u said ok.and by the grace of God they bring this cup home.
Thanks guys you have said it all . These are the enemies of progress. Oshimen May ha e scored once but his work rate has been fantastic – and who scares who scores once the team win . We don’t need to give these kind of people and publicity because they say things with no substance. Let the goalie go and play South Africa on his own and see if he win win 1-0 . Football is a team sport made of 11 players at any one time . These boys have worked for each other – as for God he takes no sides
As for me, these is not just luck . Winning a game is just one goal more than your opponent. simple.
The young men are trying to be honest. I didn’t believe in them initially, but I’ve been proven wrong.
As for me, these is not just luck . Winning a game is just one goal more than your opponent. simple.
The young men are trying to be honest. I didn’t believe in them initially, but I’ve been proven wrong.
I don’t know what this man is trying to say. And I don’t think he knows football formation. Most of the matches we played and lost we dominate positions without results and now that we are winning without domination what is wrong in that? We play from behind and Attack mostly with counter. Once we exposed this goalkeeper he will concede no matter what.
The man knows exactly what he’s saying. The midfield is not robust. So there is not enough attacking force except through the wings. However I will not say that the wins recorded is out of luck. The defense has done a good job so far. But like I too wasn’t so impressed, because attackers are supposed to take their chances. Osimhen is not getting enough supplies, Moses dribbles fine but no goal sense, Zaidu is too dull and terrible (wonder why he is in that squad). Iwobi is no standard midfielder but he’s trying. But the boy’s are great tacklers. But I see us winning the tournament.
Every one can himself anything. Expert or not what has been his contribution to development of football in Nigeria?
Every team prepared to win this competition and a team has conceded just one goal and scored six qualified for the semi final and is being dreaded by others. How better can a team be?
Oga, go park somewhere, abeg
what does that one knows about football that you are calling him an expect. gara gombe or what did you just called him. this team is one of the best we have gotten for so long and every one of them are playing with passion. carry your sentiment self go rest abeg
Well said that Gombe man has taken loud and burukutu lobatan. I love my eagle’s they play fine game like this in 2013. Whether luck or not we are moving on. The best goal that makes any match competitive and interesting is 1-0 too many goals render the game boring so eagles are making us happy with our heels on
Well said that Gombe man has taken loud and burukutu lobatan. I love my eagle’s they play fine game like this in 2013. Whether luck or not we are moving on. The best goal that makes any match competitive and interesting is 1-0 too many goals render the game boring so eagles are making us happy with our heels on
Gara Gombe made some very good observations about the team. We do not have enough creativity in the middle to feed our strikers and so we overdepend on our wingers. This has made our attacking patterns predictable such that any tactically disciplined side can neutralize our attack and wait for the game to go into penalty shootouts. But what we lack in attack we’ve adequately made up for with a solid defense. I disagree with him however that we’ve been winning through sheer luck.
Gara Gombe has expressed his mind, but in a manner that betrays narrow football perspective..The truth is this: ALL frontline players are attackers( goal poachers) as exemplified by Lookman; Osimhen is merely the pointman…Mo Sallah operates from the wings, ditto Chritiano Ronaldo, without forgetting our own iconic, supremely prolific Segun ‘Mathematical Odegbami…Of course, we could do with better creative midfield play, but no matter, our transitional counter-play is pacy, and defence-unsettling; if we had taken most of the chances that we created, particularly Osimhen’s header misses, so-called Luck would been a non-issue…To keep 4 clean sheets ain’t a by-product of luck; it’s a deserved result of awesome team play!