It would have been Africa’s first world cup semi finals. Africa could have, on home soil, gone all the way to the final and, maybe, lift football’s most prestigious trophy. The continent could have exorcised the incubus preventing it from translating its abundant football potentials into results. It was a massive opportunity lost.
It was an insult and a denial of Africa’s football prowess when pundits had tipped them to do well in Brazil based mainly on the weather, which they expected to be favourable to African teams.
The truth is that Africa is blessed with so many amazingly skilled footballers capable of ruling the world under any climate. Unfortunately, as Brazil 2014 has again revealed, what stands between African teams and triumph, apart from bias officiating, is lack of tactical discipline and mental strength. This is needed to overcome the best teams of the world.
At the World Cup in Brazil, Africa teams seemed to be apologetic. Their approach to serious games was carnival-like. They appeared to be more interested in being seen to have tried, instead of going out for glory. There was no reason why Ghana should not have beaten Germany when they cornered them 2-1 during their second group match.
Ghana had the opportunity to bury the eventual champions 3-1 when the Black Stars caught a desperate German team, trailing 1-2, on counter-attack. It was three to beat one. All Joesph Ayew needed to do was to pass the ball to Asamaoh Gyan, who was in a killer position. But Ayew displayed indiscipline and chose to be selfish when he attempted to score from a tight angle.
His weak shot was parried away by Germany’s goal keeper, Manuel Neuer. I guess he wanted to be on the score-sheet as well, his brother Andrè having equalized for Ghana in the 54 minute with a magnificent header. That would have sealed the match and put them on a quarter-finals path.
Ghana paid dearly for Joseph Ayew’s misbehaviour when prolific striker, Miraslov Klose tapped in from close range in the 71 minute and rescued a point for his country. It saved Germany from blushes and humiliation. That goal saw Klose equaling Ronaldo’s record 15 world cup goals. Klose went on to shatter the record by scoring in the 7-1 drubbing of hosts, Brazil in the semi-finals, which is now historic.
Ghana disappointed by preventing themselves from advancing from the group stage. In their first match against Jürgen Klinsmann’s USA, at 1-1, Ghana pushed the Americans back to their own eighteen yard box with forays of unending attack. The pressure was enormous as they pinned down the Yankees.
The Black Stars were looking solid and about to break the American resistance before they foolishly conceded a last minute goal, off a corner to eventually lose the match. That game went down the African record as another match an African team could have won but lost. The list is endless.
Nevertheless, in spite of the foolery of the Black Stars, they were gallant in the display of their skills and their typical stamping of authority on games. It was a delight to watch. It holds a promise that Africa will eventually rule the world of football when they develop the mental aspect of their game.
Africans were also left speechless when the Elephants of Ivory Coast could not beat an ordinary Greek side in their final group match. Their lack of focus, ruthlessness and mental strength denied them a place in the knock-out phase. It also marked a failure of a golden generation of Ivorian footballers to decorate their beautiful and flowing footballing with a football trophy. It was the last world cup and the last chance for the likes of Didier Drogba, Kolo Toure, Didier Sokora etc to win a silverware.
It must be pointed out that it was the referee’s decision, as usual, to award Greece a dubious penalty in the last minute of the match that eventually crushed the Elephants and African hopes. However, the feeling is widespread that the Elephants could have prevented their calamity if they had put their acts together and did what was expected of them earlier on in the match.
The inexperienced coach of Ivory Coast, Sabri Lamouchi did not help matters. His decisions were doubtful, especially that of leaving Swansea’s in-form striker, Wilfried Bony on the bench in such a crucial match. This writer wonders how a man, who had not coached any club before, could get the chance to manage a top team like the Elephants. The answer may as well lie in the prevalent corruption in Africa. A big wig in the Ivorian FA must have been behind his recruitment for possibly sharing of the Frenchman’s entitlements.
Similarly, Nigeria failed again to progress beyond the round of last 16. The Super Eagles also lost a match they could have won. They had France at their mercy for 60 minutes as they pushed Les Blues to the wall. What was badly needed was self-belief to finish them off. This the Eagles could not mobilize. Instead they resorted to unwise defending when Coach Stephen Keshi brought in a defensive midfielder after midfield commander, Oguenyi Onazi was carried off the pitch due to injury.
To be concluded next week
