It is World Cup again. This is one event with a dazzling global anticipation. Yes, it is worth it anyway, it is a one trophy Messi could sacrifice his kid to clinch- if it was legal! Every player would love to hang a world cup medal about his neck before hanging his boots.
It is one cup which is a golden monument in the career memory lanes of those whom have won it- one glittering memory you smile for even it crosses you when in front of an inescapable trailer. Yes, all players would want to kick a world cup ball- at least before kicking the bucket!
Surely this time around, every country wants to hear its anthem on a samba. Ramos is not going to welcome Ronaldo hospitably into his box in Brazil, even Messi and Iniesta would forget that they are neither namesakes (Andres) least friends when they assume their Brazilian 2014 national assignments. It is ‘sport savagery’ when nations take their bazookas to Brazil and fight World War III on pitch!
Surely, for Nigeria and Ethiopa, it is personal. They are going to for once forget they are both AU chieftains and dig war trenches in Calabar. For Ethiopia, they are ready to remind the world that they are the only African country that wasn’t colonized, so they were not going to allow “Lord Keshi” to colonize them tomorrow.
Stephen Keshi who like his biblical predecessor is already turning into a sporting matyr; ready to lay his pride and career on the risky Nigerian altar of Brazil 2014. Yet he is determined to pay football tributes to Martin Luther King by proving to the NFA that what a white can’t do, a black can. And that it was time for NFA to assist Sanusi in balance of trade; no need to import white commodities like Berti Vogts any longer!
On the records, Nigeria is dazzling, losing just once in their last five encounters. Ethiopa are not the favorites on the record sheet as they had suffered a 4-0 defeat earlier on and even lost to Nigeria in their last meeting when Emenike was able to turn the heavy tables around in the last twenty five minutes in Addis Ababa.
On the head to head, in the last ten meetings, the Eagles got the Walias Antelopes’ kissing the sad dust eight times, drawing one back in June 2012 in a Nations Cup Qualifiers; and losing once far back in 1993. Of course, Nigeria paid them back in a bigger coin when Super Eagles left them bleeding from a 6-0 mauling in the second leg.
Yet the Walias Antelopes are determined to change the ledgers of history and credit Ethiopa with a shocking World Cup ticket. Brandishing a lethal armory of Salhadin who has scored four in their last qualifier encounters; also the poisonous Kebede is back to sting Eyeama with some venoms that are rare in Israel.
Nigeria may look weaker without Nosa and Uche Nwofor, but the formidable Babayaro boots are not yet empty as they are well sized up by the intimidating Emenike!
So far, today is the decider and we all have to cross our fingers- even lepers who has got no limbs must find some fingers to cross as we are hopeful that Keshi and his boys will not be a ‘football Dana’ crashing the hopes of several Nigerians.
I also think Keshi has got a fat bottle of TB Joshua’s anointing water as we go to war tomorrow with Ethiopia physically and spiritually!
theblugr 