On Sunday afternoon, it was game time between the Super Eagles and Equatorial Guinea under the scorching sun at the Stade Alassane Ouattara in Abidjan.
A young Nigerian — not a popular name among the country’s football-crazy faithful — stepped out from the dugout donning the No.4 jersey, made popular by the mercurial Nwankwo Kanu.
It was his debut game for the Eagles and it was at the highest level of African football — the Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast.
Definitely, the question on the lips of several fans would have been, “Who’s this new man on jersey No.4?”
However, the game was barely halfway played when this 6ft9in nimble-footed midfielder had etched his name — Alhassan Yusuf — in the hearts of the fans with his work ethic, discipline, versatility, hard work, determination and dedication.
It ended 1-1 between both sides, and expectedly fans back home voiced their frustrations over the Eagles inability to beat lesser foes.
However, despite their anger, most of the fans praised Yusuf, who they insisted was best performer on the pitch in Abidjan, even though Jesus Owono, the impressive Nzalang Nacional goalkeeper, who thwarted the Eagles goal-bound efforts time and again, was named CAF’s Man of The Match after the encounter.
Yusuf was on the field for 69 minutes before he was stretched off after sustaining an injury to his thigh.
For a player who just made his debut, his injury raised so much fear among fans who were hoping that he would be fit in time for the Eagles’ second Group A game against Ivory Coast on Thursday.
Yusuf has however confirmed that he only suffered a cramp during the game against Equatorial Guinea.
“My injury is just a cramp, we will see if I’ll be available against Ivory Coast,” he said.
The news came as big news for some fans.
Kaima wrote, “Thank God. This 23-year-old was bullying our opponents and schooling (Alex) Iwobi and co on how to play midfield football, he was exceptional. When he was taken out I was just praying we manage the score line till the final whistle.”
Ali_boja Alwaezyy added, “Thank God, our main hustle on the midfield, he doesn’t get tired. He must have played a lot of hide and seek while growing.”
Also pleased with the report, Talmudic Sage tweeted, “That’s good news. He was our best player today (Sunday) and we need him to be 100 per cent fit against CIV.”
“I hope he stays fit because we need him. What a game he had before the injury scare,” Sir Uno wrote.
With a lot to play for on Thursday against the hosts, fans will hope that Yusuf can replicate his impressive debut display when both sides clash in one of the most highly anticipated group games of the AFCON.
