Oliseh blamed for 0-2 loss to DR Congo last night as Enyeama saga loomed over Eagles

SUPER Eagles head coach Sunday Oliseh is under fire over his role in the retirement of team skipper Vincent Enyeama and its impact on the rest of the squad after Nigeria lost 0-2 to the Democratic Republic of Congo yesterday.

 

In an unimpressive display in Vise near Antwerp last night, the Eagles were defeated by the Congolese Leopards thanks to two first half goals. Commentators are blaming the loss on the disruption in camp caused by Oliseh stripping Enyeama of the captain's armband, which led to him announcing his retirement from international football.

 

Enyeama, Nigeria's most capped player ever with 101 appearances, was unceremoniously stripped of the captaincy in the run-up to the match, with Oliseh saying he needed a more committed man to lead the team. He subsequently handed the armband to CSKA Moscow winger Ahmed Musa but in the ensuing row, Enyeama angrily quit the team.

 

Nigeria then took to the pitch without Enyeama, with Wolverhampton Wanderers' Carl Ikeme in goal and Musa captaining the team. In the match, Nigeria got off to a slow start with Congo's Crystal Palace winger Yannick Bolasie locating his team mate Dieumerci Mbokani, who turned sharply to fire past Ikeme for the opening goal in the sixth minute.

 

A ball-watching Nigeria defence was punished again in the 30th minute, when Jordan Nkololo tucked the ball home after a great piece of attacking play from the left wing. Nigeria then chased the game in search of a goal but did not create any clear-cut chances and the Congolese were also resolute in their defending that the Eagles hardly troubled them.

 

In the second half, the Leopards  had an effort by the tricky Bolasie chalked off for offside in the 63rd minute. They looked the more likely to score again and Oliseh was forced to make a change in the 65th minute, when he brought in defensive midfielder Obiora Nwankwo for the ineffective Watford striker Odion Ighalo.

 

Later on, the introduction of Emmanuel Emenike and Moses Simon brought some urgency to the Eagles attack but that was about it as they could only force a big save from the Congo goalkeeper in the dying moments of the encounter. Fans have since taken to social media to blame Oliseh for the loss, questioning his man-management skills.

 

Oliseh's handling of the captaincy saga has been blamed for the lacklustre performance as fans claim the team, lacked focus and commitment having had their concentration disrupted. Nigeria will now face the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon on Sunday in Brussels with the fans expecting a better performance.