The Angolan's have dented the 2006 FIFA World Cup dreams of the Nigerian Super Eagles, with a well deserved draw away to one of the major favourites in the African qualifying stages for the competition.

A beautiful 1st minute goal from Super Eagles captain Jay Jay Okocha looked set to give the Nigerian team an almost concrete place in the 2006 FIFA World Cup Finals, and it very much looked like a goal-fest was on the cards.

But with only two shots on goal in the first half, the Super Eagles had no room for complacency, and the threat of an Angolan break was always a possibility.

The Angolan's did indeed come out with a better sense of purpose in the second half, and started to cause the home team a few problems, with both teams creating chances, and new boy Morito had a cracking shot mid way through the second period, that forced the Nigerian no 1 into making a great save.

Less than two minutes later, the Angolans silenced the home stadium, from a free kick by the Angolan dead-ball specialist Figueredo that was, in no small part, helped over the line by a fumble by the Super Eagles goalie, to let the ball slide in and make it all square at 1-1.

This sent the home team into a small state of shock, and for a while it was the visitors who had the better grasp of the game, with the home team wondering what had made them go to sleep, and as the second half progressed there were no signs of the deadlock being broken.

The Angolan keeper Ricardo was eventually called back into action as the Nigerians had a string of corners, from which he produced a couple of excellent saves. But the poor passing, and lack of cohesion in both teams play was becoming evident, no doubt partly due to the oppressive heat and humidity in the Sonny Abacha stadium, but also because the Nigerian Captain and play-maker extraordinaire Jay Jay Okocha was being so heavily marked.

The Nigerians began to try to get something from the match in the closing quarter of the match, but the Angolan's had everyone back in their own half for most of the time, with some frantic defending, and the home team spurning every opportunity given to them, with countless home team corners being soaked up by the rugged Angolan defence.

The closing minutes of the match saw a tirade of Nigerian attacks on the Angolan goal, with shot after shot raining in on the visitors. But pure numbers of bodies in the box saw each shot rebounding away, only for the ball to be flung back in on them.

The Visitors managed to last to the final whistle, for a truly deserved draw, that will leave the former African champions reeling, and wondering what may have been. It is now that the Super Eagles, with all their talent, have to have a MAJOR re-think, in order to secure a coveted place in the 2006 FIFA World Cup finals next summer.

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