A stay of execution...

I exhaled an expletive. Nigeria had won, somehow meaning that we had one more month of fooling ourselves before ultimate disappointment.

The lump in my throat grew to gargantuan proportions as the minutes ticked away. As I prepared for another summer of casual supporting, Victor Nsofor shut me up. I had just called him every single synonym for stupid I could think of thanks to a few passages of brainless play, in what was already a very frustrating match.

People of my generation have been spoilt. Our parents had to watch years of failure to qualify for the big one. Tragedy- (Sam Okwaraji) and misfortune (Godwin Odiye's own goal) rather than triumph marked our efforts. Until one glorious day in October, 15 years ago.

I was ten and USA 94 was brilliant, although with hindsight, the football was mostly dire. Not from us though, I honestly thought we were one of the best teams in the world. It wasn't youthful exhuberance, we had a group of very good players and a couple of world class individuals. Without wearing green-tinted glasses, I can honestly say that 2nd Rounds in both 1994 and 1998 was something of an underachievement.

2 further qualifications followed even if the performances at the big dance slowly declined. And then, the unthinkable happened. We didn't even make Germany in 2006. I love football, but not having my nation there made the whole experience somewhat empty. Ghana and the Ivory Coast were not able to replace the feelings seeing a Nigerian team would have brought about.

We all said never-again. We'd taken qualification for granted. We'd learn from it- the players said it, the newspapers said it, the fans said it. And here we stand, about to go out again, to play cinderella while another team goes to stink the place up. It's a bit galling that Tunisia will go in our stead. Their groups in 2002 and 2006 were perhaps better known as the Groups of Tedium (Japan, Russia and Belgium in 02; Spain, Ukraine and the Saudis in 06). Tricky groups but not impossible to progress from.

As shocking as we were on Sunday, you kind of get the feeling that against a Spain or Brazil, we'd at least raise our game. Tunisia just choke, as if the effort of qualifying, and bear in mind they are the only team to qualify for every World Cup since Africa got 5 places, has taken it out of them.

The fact however remains that we don't have a divine right to qualify. And yet the organsiation leaves something to be desired. Gone are the days when we could just turn up with a goal in the bag mentally, just because we were Nigeria. Teams don't fear us anymore and to be honest, we aren't even as good as we used to be.

In 1997, there was that charity Africa vs. Europe match that we won 2-1. Nigeria had 4 men in that 18-man squad. Only our influence and size would see us contribute more than one player to such a squad today.

And yet, the NFF remains as crap as it was 10 years ago. Each international break has 2 dates. Nigeria plays one match on Saturday, and that's it. Meanwhile, Tunisia played Saudi Arabia yesterday. The NFF are probably still patting themselves on the back for organising friendlies against France and Ireland six months ago.

And it showed on the pitch against Mozambique, where despite having a lot on the ball we rarely threatened. Nobody seemed to be on anybody's wavelength. there were no off the ball runs, the play was laboured and the passes glaringly obvious.

Perhaps some blame goes towards Amodu. Surely, it should be down to him to set the way we play. If he did, then he deserves at the very least, serious criticism. If he didn't then what exactly is he there for?

Now, we are hoping the Mozambiquans (who lets be fair were no slouches, and had they been more confident or ruthless in front of goal could have punished us) will be able to hold Tunisia on their artificial pitch, while at the same time we do the job in Kenya. We're still alive, but only just...and maybe Nsofor's last gasp winner just illustrates that.