International Football
LEAVING NIGERIA WAS MY BIGGEST MISTAKE SAYS WESTERHOF
BY KUNLE SOLAJA
The architect of the famed golden era of the Super Eagles, Clemens Westerhof, last six years ago made a sensational visit to Nigeria and hours later, was briefly a guest of editor-in-Chief of www.sportsvillagesquare.com at his Lagos home.
The Dutch tactician, who clocked 74 during the visit, took the Super Eagles to their highest level of achievement till date.
Besides Nigeria’s winning the Africa Cup of Nations Cup for the first time outside the country’s shores, he is also the only coach of Nigeria to have achieved the top three levels of the competition – runners up at his first attempt at Algeria ’90 and second runners up at Senegal ’92 before achieving the ultimate at Tunisia ’94.
He was the first coach to qualify Nigeria for the World Cup when the Super Eagles pulled a stunning 1-1 draw with Algeria in Algiers to win the triangular league that involved Cote d’Ivoire and Algeria.
Under him, Nigeria had their best position in the monthly FIFA ranking when the Super Eagles ranked fifth in April 1994. That was 26 years ago.
Westerhof, who came to Nigeria with a Dutch television crew to shoot a documentary on his exploits with the Super Eagles, believed an encore was in the offing.
He went into a little historical analysis to back his optimism.
In 1993, Nigeria won the U-17 World Cup in Asia and also qualified for the following year’s World Cup on the American continent.
In 2013 in Asia (Dubai), the Golden Eaglets were again victorious, while the Super Eagles got bound for the World Cup on the American continent, that time in Brazil.
“In the year of the World Cup, I won the Africa Cup of Nations with Nigeria, before heading for the World Cup,” he recalled glowingly.
“I believe Keshi should attempt to do better than I did 20 years ago at the World Cup.
“This means he has to take his team beyond the second round. He must go to the quarterfinals and possibly get to the last four,” said Westerhof.
He was to repeat the same challenge two days later at the occasion of his 74th birthday when he met with Stephen Keshi and two of the other players that made his 23-man team to the historic World Cup in 1994.
The other two former players were Peter Rufai and Daniel Amokachi.
Hear Westerhof’s charge to the late Keshi: “You are just at my level if you just get to the next round after also becoming an African champion. You have to get to the quarterfinals to get better than me.
“I will be happier if you get to the last four,” he told Keshi. Two days earlier, he remarked that Keshi needed to build the right team with the right players and right combination.
He observed that Nigeria had more overseas players now than during his era two decades earlier. “In my days, they were about 10 or 12. Now they are in hundreds.
“If Keshi selects the right ones spread across Italy, Belgium, England and Germany and if he is able to make the right combination of the best, he will certainly make a big mark at the World Cup”, Westerhof remarked before Brazil 2014.
He defined the right players and combination as a set of players playing as a team and fighting for each other for results and not those playing individually for personal glory.
He looked forward to a tactically disciplined side that was devoid of distractions. He insisted that Keshi should be left alone to select his players.
“He is the boss. He decides who he wants to feature. He decides those in the right frame of mind to achieve his goal.
“He has qualified the team for the World Cup. He is a champion of Africa. So, he is the right man for the job,” remarked Westerhof.
He charged Keshi to take interest also in the off-field attitude of the players while in camp. He gave an example of how he had to take a seat by the elevator of the hotel camp of the Super Eagles in their last home game in the USA ’94 World Cup qualifying series.
“I sat all night to ensure that no player sneaked out. I did it because I wanted to win. And we won (against Cote d’Ivoire) 4-1. The players had rested and were in the right frame of mind.”
Nigeria’s Super Eagles put up a spirited performance but were edged 2-1 by Portugal in an international friendly at the Estádio Dr. Magalhães Pessoa in Leiria on Wednesday night.
The match served as Portugal’s final tune-up ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America and offered the Nigerians a chance to test themselves against one of Europe’s leading sides led by veteran captain Cristiano Ronaldo.
Portugal drew first blood in the 23rd minute when Pedro Neto broke the deadlock, firing past Nigerian goalkeeper Maduka Okoye after a lively opening period in which both teams created opportunities.
The Super Eagles responded positively and were rewarded eight minutes before halftime when striker Akor Adams found the equaliser. The goal capped an impressive Nigerian fightback and ensured the teams went into the break level at 1-1.
Ronaldo, making a rare appearance against Nigeria, started the match and remained on the pitch until the 67th minute. The 41-year-old was given a standing ovation by the home crowd when he was replaced by Gonçalo Ramos.
Portugal made several changes after the interval as coach Roberto Martinez rotated his squad in preparation for the World Cup. Despite the substitutions, the hosts continued to press for a winner.
Their persistence paid off in the 75th minute when Francisco Conceição struck the decisive goal, restoring Portugal’s lead and ultimately securing victory for the European side.
Nigeria battled to find another equaliser in the closing stages but Portugal’s defence held firm to preserve the 2-1 result.
The defeat means Portugal have now won both meetings between the two countries. Their first encounter came in Lisbon in November 2022, when the Portuguese recorded a convincing 4-0 victory in a pre-World Cup friendly.
While the result will disappoint Nigerian supporters, the Super Eagles can take encouragement from their resilient display against one of the teams widely tipped to make a strong impact at the World Cup. Akor Adams’ goal and Nigeria’s competitive showing against a star-studded Portuguese side provided positive signs as the team continues its rebuilding process under the national team set-up.
For Portugal, the victory provides a confidence boost as they head to North America, where they hope their talented midfield and experienced squad can propel them to a successful World Cup campaign.
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Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo will be in the starting line-up when the Selecao take on Nigeria in an international friendly match which kicks off in a few minutes tonight.
The 41-year-old forward, who remains a key figure in the Portuguese national team, has been named among the starters as Portugal continue preparations for upcoming competitive fixtures.
Ronaldo’s inclusion is expected to add further excitement to the encounter, with Nigerian fans eager to see one of football’s greatest players in action against the Super Eagles.
The match offers Nigeria another opportunity to test themselves against top European opposition, while Portugal will look to sharpen their squad ahead of future international assignments.
Kick-off is scheduled for later tonight, with both teams expected to field strong line-ups in what promises to be an entertaining contest.
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By Kunle Solaja
Nigeria’s Super Eagles and Portugal will meet for only the second time at the senior level when they clash in an international friendly in Leiria on Wednesday night.
The encounter comes under remarkably similar circumstances to their first meeting in November 2022, when Portugal defeated Nigeria 4-0 in Lisbon just days before the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Once again, Portugal are using Nigeria as their final warm-up match before the World Cup. Four years ago, the Portuguese selected the Super Eagles to prepare for a group-stage clash against Ghana, the team that denied Nigeria a place at Qatar 2022.
History appears to be repeating itself. This time, Portugal are preparing for a World Cup opening fixture against the Democratic Republic of Congo, another team that shattered Nigeria’s World Cup ambitions by eliminating the Super Eagles from the qualification race.
The match at the 29,000-capacity Estádio Dr Magalhães Pessoa offers Nigeria an opportunity to avenge the heavy defeat suffered four years ago and test themselves against one of Europe’s strongest sides.
Portugal coach Roberto Martinez has assembled a star-studded squad featuring five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva, Ruben Dias, Rafael Leão and João Félix.
The Portuguese head into the encounter unbeaten in their last four matches, having recorded victories over the United States and Chile while drawing with Mexico.
Nigeria, under coach Eric Chelle, have also enjoyed an impressive run. Since taking charge 15 months ago, the Franco-Malian tactician has overseen 24 matches and suffered only one defeat in regulation time.
With both teams carrying impressive recent records, Wednesday’s friendly promises to be far more competitive than the scoreline from their last meeting suggests.
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