The Bible tells us in James 2:26 that “faith without work is dead”. This in clear terms means that if you believe in something without working towards it, you may never achieve it.
Last week I wrote about the desires of Victor Osimhen and the demands of Super Eagles new coach, Eric Sekou Chelle as they prepared for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Rwanda in Kigali and Zimbabwe in Uyo.
The two desires of Osimhen came to pass, first ensuring that he and his teammates put up a good fight to pick the maximum points away to Rwanda in Kigali, a feat they haven’t achieved before.
The second one, which I said was personal to him, is to keep scoring goals for club and country, to remain among the all-time top scorers of the Super Eagles.
He was fresh from scoring his first hat-trick in the Turkish league and was eager to resume in the Super Eagles camp, to train against Rwanda who were already boasting that the Super Eagles would leave Kigali empty- handed.
On his part, Coach Chelle was looking forward to working with only players who would be hungry for success by fighting for every ball with their opponents.
Believing that it takes two to tango, in this case of winning a football ‘war’, the players and their coach, Osimhen said, “it takes more than a coach to win football matches. Players must also be at their best and show commitment.”
Captain of the team, Williams Troost-Ekong got the message and said the players have the Nigerian spirit of never giving up until it is over and assured their fans that they are “hungry and ready for redemption”.
Reacting to the boast of some Rwandan players that they will shock the Super Eagles in Kigali, Troost-Ekong said they were not bothered because the playing would be done on the pitch.
“We have heard some talk about history, but we’re not bothered. I was part of the last game in Kigali that ended in a draw, but this time, we know we cannot afford to drop points. Our objective is to get the three points and revive our qualification campaign. Our priority is making it to the FIFA World Cup.”
With faith that Rwanda could be beaten on their ground, Chelle and his players went to work, trained for three days and came out with a strategy that was completely different from what the Rwandese knew about them.
Osimhen was also returning to the World Cup qualifiers after missing the earlier ones decided under Jose Peseiro and Finidi George who took over from him.
The performance of the Super Eagles in Kigali last Friday is what they are known for, fighting without removing their legs from the throttle.
For once they showed everyone, especially all the other opponents in their group that they have got their fire back and therefore ready to consume anybody on their way. They broke the Kigali jinx and proved that Rwanda were not invincible at home after all.
However, I must say it is not yet Uhuru as it is still a long way on the bridge they have faith they could cross.
The win against Rwanda, their first in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers under Chelle will make their next opponent, Zimbabwe as well as Benin Republic, Lesotho and South Africa begin to plan new strategies for them in the remaining matches.
Because their destiny is no longer in their hands, they knew they must ensure they do their own part first, that is win every match and they just did that in Kagali on Friday.
Nigerians are hoping that the other teams will flounder on the way to make qualification for the Super Eagles a reality.
The first prayer answered for the fans was that of Benin Republic, handled by Super Eagles former coach, Gernot Rohr who still nurses love in his heart for them.
How else could it be explained that Benin Republic led 2-0 on away soil but lost concentration and allowed Zimbabwe to fight back to level up and share points with them?
It took South Africa 60 minutes before they could break their host, Lesotho and added the second goal four minutes later to garner the maximum points that have shot them to the top of the group with 10 points, four more than Nigeria.
On Match Day 6, while the Super Eagles will be hosting Zimbabwe, Rohr will lead Benin Republic against South Africa in Abidjan while Rwanda will still be at home against Lesotho, now below Nigeria on the log with five points.
On Tuesday, the result that will favour the Super Eagles in the Abidjan tie is a draw or a win by Rohr’s boys. That will help the Super Eagles close the gap and make qualification easier by beating both sides when they play them if they succeed in beating Zimbabwe in Uyo.
If Bafana Bafana lose only to the Super Eagles, they will finish with 22 points and pick the ticket because six wins will give Nigeria 21 points.
Another loss or a draw by Rwanda, will rule them out while a loss by Benin Republic in their last match against the Super Eagles in October also rules them out of contention.
With determination like the basketball team, the D’Tigers, the Super Eagles could still land the World Cup ticket automatically without having to go through the difficult route of a play-off in Asia.
They must keep hope alive and work their faith with rugged determination because nothing good comes easy.
The post The faith that works, by Patrick Omorodion appeared first on Vanguard News.
