PASSAGE II
The 2002 World Cup Competition, also called Korea/
Japan 2002, kicked off with a match between the defending
champions, France, and the Senegalese national team fromAfrica.
Nobody had given the Senegalese any chance against the starstudded
defending champions but the 1-0 scoreline in favour of
Senegal showed that African football can no longer be taken for
granted.
This shocking defeat of France had raised Africa’s
hopes of going beyond the first round of the tournament. So
when the Super Eagles ofNigeria filed out againstArgentina on
the morning of Sunday, June the second, 2002, many Nigerian
football enthusiasts delayed attending church service to watch
the match live on television. As expected, the Super Eagles put
up strong resistance to the Argentinian challenge and the day
would not have ended on a somber note for Nigerians if the
momentum had been sustained throughout the match.
The hope of going beyond the first round, though
precarious, was verymuch alive as the Eagles were expected to
defeat their next opponents, Sweden and England. But some
shortcomings in the Nigerian national teamneeded to be rectified
to brighten their chances against their next opponents.
First, the defence needed to be strengthened to prevent
the opponents from incessantly terrorizing the goalkeeper. Then
the strikers also needed toimprove on their lackluster performance
against Argentina, since every Nigerian expected them to
overwhelm their next opponents in the opening rounds. Lastly,
rather than gamble with unfit players, a more creative use of the
reserves would be necessary to smooth the way to the next
round.
If World Cup debutants, Senegal ,could nurse the hope
of playing in the knock-out stages of the tournament, then the Eagles should soar instead of being intimidated by big names,
for no team is invincible.
Which of the following captures the writer’s suggestion
on how the Eagles could improve their performance in
subsequent matches?
Stress your limit with past questions and answers