Alexis Sanchez's latest epic contribution inspires Arsenal thumping of Stoke

Premier League, Emirates Stadium - Arsenal 3 (Koscielny 6, Sanchez 33, 49) Stoke City 0

 

Alexis Sanchez continued his outstanding debut season in England by helping himself to a double and a trademark assist in Arsenal's stylish 3-0 win over a bedraggled Stoke City at the Emirates Stadium.

The Chilean forward increased his haul to 12 Premier League goals and seven assists in what is rapidly turning into an epic personal campaign since his move from Barcelona during the close season. 

He showed off all of his considerable £35 million wares as he bounded onto a pass from TomasRosicky to squeeze the ball beyond Asmir Begovic on 33 minutes for his side's second goal before adding the third from a free-kick shortly after half-time. 

He was also involved in the opening goal when he threw over a cross for Laurent Koscielny's free header on six minutes with Stoke looking a poor imitation of the team who turned Arsenal over 3-2 at the Britannia Stadium last month. 

Arsenal lost Mathieu Debuchy with a shoulder injury on 11 minutes, but they were the length of the Holloway Road ahead of Stoke, who were dependent upon their goalkeeper Asmir Begovic to prevent them from being humilitated.

A first Premier League win of 2015 for Arsene Wenger's side was highly impressive. Mark Hughesand Stoke will be relieved to escape from London having shipped only three

KEY MOMENTS

6' GOAL! Arsenal 1-0 Stoke! Sanchez with the cross, and that is a superb finish with the head from Koscielny. A 1-0 lead for the home side. 

10' INJURY TO DEBUCHY: Arnautovic appeared to push Debuchy into the boards. This is very worrying. His day is well and truly finished. A shoulder injury. The Stoke man lucky to stay on. 

13' CHANCE! Oxlade-Chamberlain thumps a shot a few yards wide of goal from 18 yards. A solid shot by the Arsenal man, but just off target. 

20' SAVE! Begovic with another superb stop to turn away the shot by Giroud after he was set up by Alexis. The pressure continues. 

27' CHANCE! These are brighter moments for Stoke, who have a free-kick just outside of the Arsenal area. Bojan Krkic with a short free-kick, but Whelan hammers it miles over from 18 yards. Had time to hit that. Half-chance for the visitors. 

33' GOAL! Arsenal 2-0 Stoke! Rosicky with a lovely pass into the path of Sanchez, and he slams the shot into the net from 10 yards. Fantastic finish.

49' GOAL! Arsenal 3-0 Stoke! Sanchez manages to curl the free-kick through the wall. Begovic can't keep the ball out as it comes back off him via the post before trundling into the net. 

80' WALCOTT CHANCE! Another lovely sweeping move from Arsenal as Sanchez picks out the run of Walcott, but he drags the ball wide. Should have worked Begovic there. 

88' OSPINA SAVE! Finally a save from Ospina as he dives low to his left to stop the effort from Ireland finding the back of the net. 

Mathieu Debuchy of Arsenal receives treatment for an injury before being stretchered off during the Barclays Premier League match between Arsenal and Stoke City - Getty Images

KEY STATS

Stoke fail to find the net for only the sixth time this season – last term they failed to score in 14 matches.

Stoke lose their first match in the PL since 0-2 against Chelsea on 22 December, ending a three match unbeaten run.

Stoke lose in London for the first time this PL season, on their fourth visit to the capital – last season they lost five out of six visits.

Arsène Wenger has won all eight home PL matches with Mark Hughes on the opposite bench.

Alexis Sanchez has now contributed to 19 Premier League goals this season (12 goals, 7 assists), more than any other player in the league (Sergio Agüero is next with 17).

Laurent Koscielny félicité par Santi Cazorla lors d'Arsenal-Stoke 

TALKING POINT

How are Arsenal looking at the outset of 2015? Looking very bright. Beating Stoke 3-0 at the Emirates Stadium is not the most difficult of tasks for such a squad, but all of Arsenal's players are looking bright. If Alexis Sanchez maintains his surge in form, the home side should dock in the top four as per usual. 

OOJ - Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal) 

MAN OF THE MATCH

Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal) - Easy decisions do not come easier than this. Not quite a one-man team, but not far off it. Must already be regarded as a favourite for England's player of the year gong. Arsenal are level on points with fourth-placed Southampton, but they would be off the pace in their annual pursuit of a Champions League spot without the outstanding contribution of Sanchez. 

Radwanska downs Serena in Hopman Cup final

Agnieszka

Agnieszka Radwanska showed why she should be considered among the favourites for the Australian Open later this month by beating world number one Serena Williams in the final of the Hopman Cup in Perth on Saturday.

 

The Polish world number five claimed a 6-4 6-7 (3) 6-1 win to put her country 1-0 up in the mixed team event. Jerzy Janowicz is next on court against American John Isner able to seal the title with victory prior to the mixed doubles later on Saturday.

"When I go and play against her, you have nothing really to lose, she is number one in the world and a great champion," Radwanska told reporters of her beaten foe.

"It doesn't matter what the score is. It's never over, she's a great fighter. I'm just very happy that I could come back after that second set and play my good game in the third set.

"Wins like this always give a lot of confidence."

Radwanska's first victory over Williams in nine meetings comes after she signed up former American great Martina Navratilova as a coach.

Williams, who also lost to Eugenie Bouchard of Canada earlier this week in the round robin, could have done with some advice from the 18-times grand slam singles champion after struggling in the opening set.

The American's forehand was particularly troublesome, contributing to many of her 28 unforced errors as she was broken twice early on to fall 4-1 behind before losing out 6-4.

The second went with serve as Radwanska pushed and pulled Williams around the court, with the powerful American retaliating by bludgeoning some heavy winners in an even contest.

The Pole, a semi-finalist at the Australian Open last year, then broke Williams to go 6-5 up and serve for the match but she was unable to put the American down as the world number one broke back to force a tiebreak that she took 7-3.

However, that was as good as it got for Williams, who will be seeking a 19th grand slam title in Australia, as she collapsed in the third to allow Radwanska to claim the moral boosting win.

Man Utd disjointed by brilliant Saints in the battle for EuropIan spot.

Dusan Tadic came off the bench to score the only goal of the game as Southampton frustrated, shut out and ultimately deflated Manchester United as they recorded a momentous 1-0 win - the first time they have won in the Premier League at Old Trafford.

With United struggling to apply any pressure to a watertight visiting defence, Serbia's Tadic - who replaced Eljero Elia after being spotted in the technical area without his shirt or shin pads on - was coolness personIfied as he stroked the ball into the gaping net after Graziano Pelle's shot had come back off a post. 

It was no more than he deserved having cut United open with the pass that provided Pelle with his chance. He was booked after converting from the rebound, but that will mean little to Southampton manager Ronald Koeman, whose side are two points clear of Manchester United in third place.

United's unbeaten run is halted at 10, but they can have few complaints about losing this one with Juan Mata squandering two obvious chances to rescue a point from a match in which United were largely silenced by the Premier League's best defence. 

United's starting line-up was worth £274 million, but they did not manage one shot on goal throughout an eminently forgettable afternoon.

OOJ - Manchester United vs Southampton (Juan Mata)

TALKING POINT: Can Southampton qualify for the Champions League? Very much so. They look set to challenge United for the rest of the campaign. Ronald Koeman's side provide a lesson in how to play the game. They are not full of flair, but they are as tough as old boots. If you want to come up with a blueprint in how to play the game away from home, this is it. Compact in defence and midfield with a real threat on the break, Southampton will win more games than they lost for the remainder of the season. Koeman deserves enormous credit for the condition of the squad given what he inherited in the close season. 

MAN OF THE MATCH

Morgan Schneiderlin (Southampton): Strolled through the afternoon. Little wonder he is wanted by some of the Premier League's larger concerns. A class act, who proved he belongs on such a stage. With Jose Fonte organising matters superbly at the back, Saints are well in the frame for the Champions League..

KEY MOMENTS

2' CHANCE! Clyne with an early chance to score. Bounds up the park, and smashes the ball a few yards wide. Southampton starting sharply in this match 

17' INJURY Alderweireld has suffered a muscle pull here. He is on the ground. And that could be the end of his evening after he tracked the run of Di Maria. 

28' CHANCE! Southampton work the ball short. Davis with the ball deep looking for Fonte, but he heads wide of goal. Chance for Saints. Had a free run at the back post.

69' GOAL! Tadic with the finish from 14 yards after Pelle had hit the post. Brilliant, composed finish. Saints lead 1-0 at Old Trafford.

78' CHANCE! Blind with the cross. Clawed away by Forster. Falls to Mata, but he knocks the ball wide with the goal at his mercy. Wasn't easy, but a real chance to bring United level. 

79' CHANCE Blind with another superb cross, but Mata this time knocks over the bar from five yards. Glorious chance not taken by United. 

KEY STATS

Southampton kept their tenth clean sheet of the season, joint most along with Chelsea in the league, but this is only their third away from home. It is the first time Manchester United failed to score at home in the Premier League this season, the first time since 3 May 2014 (0-1 against Sunderland) they have not done so (11 matches).

OOJ - Southampton vs Manchester United 

Southampton leap frog Man United to go to third in the PL table – it is their highest ever position after 21 matches in the PL era; they were last this high in the table after this many matches in 1979/80; third behind Manchester United in second and Liverpool in first.

Manchester United lose for the first time in 10 PL matches, going back to 2 November (0-1 against Manchester City. It is their first home loss since the opening day of the season (1-2 against Swansea).

Southampton record their 500th top flight league win, and their 150th top flight away win.

It is almost 26 years since Southampton last won in the top flight away at Manchester United (2-0, 16 January 1988). 

Roger Federer in 1,000th career

Top seed Roger Federer secured the 1,000th victory of his career as he beat Milos Raonic to win the Brisbane International title. 

Swiss Federer, 33, beat the Canadian, 24, 6-4 6-7 (2-7) 6-4 on Pat Rafter Arena to clinch his 83rd career title.

The world number two becomes the third man, after Jimmy Connors and Ivan Lendl, to secure 1,000 ATP wins.

Federer now heads to Melbourne to begin preparations for the Australian Open, which begins on 19 January. 

The Swiss has been in fine form in Brisbane, brushing aside Australian qualifier James Duckworth in 39 minutes and then beating Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov in 53 minutes to reach the final. 

The 17-time Grand Slam champion began the final strongly, breaking Raonic's serve in the third game before going on to take the set 6-4.

The Swiss broke in the opening game of the second set, but Raonic broke back for 2-2 and then dominated the tie-break, winning seven successive points to seal the set and level the match. 

Federer was under pressure early in the third but Raonic failed to capitalise and the Swiss recovered to break in the 10th game and secure victory in two hours and 13 minutes. 

Bony lands City's Deal

Swansea City have agreed a fee in the region of £30m to sell striker Wilfried Bony to Premier League champions Manchester City.

Swansea manager Garry Monk previously said it would take an "astronomical" fee to prise the Ivory Coast striker, 26, away from the Liberty Stadium.

He was the Premier League's top scorer in the calendar year of 2014 with 20 goals.

Bony joined Swansea for a club-record £12m from Vitesse Arnhem in 2013.

The fee breaks the Welsh club record sale of £15m that Liverpool paid Swansea for midfielder Joe Allen in August 2012.

Bony, who scored an injury-time equaliser for Swansea against QPR on New Year's Day, is on Africa Cup of Nations duty with Ivory Coast for at least the next three weeks.

But the player's agent Francis Kacou said last Wednesday that the deal should be completed soon.

Wilfried Bony scored the opening goal for Swansea in their 2-1 defeat to Manchester City in November 

Man City were without injured strikers Sergio Aguero and Edin Dzeko for the festive period and manager Manuel Pellegrini is keen to add further depth to his squad.

The Chilean, 61, had indicated he was not looking to do serious business in the January transfer window. 

The club were hit with Uefa sanctions last year for breaching financial fair play rules which included a spending cap of £49m, plus any money raised from transfer fees.

They spent around £48m in the summer on Eliaquim Mangala, midfielder Fernando, and goalkeeper Willy Caballero, although sold Jack Rodwell to Sunderland for a reported £10m and midfielder Javi Garcia joined Zenit St Petersburg for £13m.

But with Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham reported to be interested in Bony, it is the Premier League champions who have moved quickest to bolster their attacking options. 

What's wrong with Barcelona?

Messi has been linked with a move to Premier League side Chelsea

Once upon a time, Barcelona were held up as the model to follow in football.

Their dedication to an ambitious style of play, the influence of a revolutionary manager and an unrivalled trophy haul led to admiration well beyond the shores of Catalonia. These days, though, they dominate headlines for very different reasons.

Performances on the pitch are no longer up to the standards of old, the trophies are starting to dry up, a transfer ban will stop them signing players until 2016, and in-fighting has led to early elections.

To cap it all, there is even talk that Lionel Messi might want to leave.

What's gone wrong?

Only a few years ago, it seemed Barcelona could do no wrong.

Fourteen trophies won under Pep Guardiola with an exhilarating brand of football ensured the Catalans were regularly hailed as the best team in the world, while a regular supply of bright, young academy players suggested the future was in safe hands.

But things have taken a turn for the worse. Not a single major honour was won by Barça in 2014, while Atlético Madrid claimed the Spanish league at the Nou Camp on the last day of the season.

More damning still, the Blaugrana had to look on as Atletico and Real Madrid fought out an all La Liga Champions League final in Lisbon.

Suarez has scored just three goals in 12 games for Barcelona

In response, Barcelona spent big, investing well over £100m on players ranging from goalkeepers, defenders, midfielders and forwards. Above all, they invested in Luis Suarez, paying around £75m for the Premier League's top scorer.

Yet despite the new names, many of the old problems persist, with Barça still struggling to raise their game to the heady levels of old.

Matters off the pitch haven't helped. Resignations, sackings, fall-outs and in-fighting have all marred the club in recent months, while a transfer ban, imposed after the club breached rules on signing international players under the age of 18, prevents them from signing players until 2016.

How bad is it?

On paper, Barcelona's position as second in La Liga looks positive enough, as does their presence in the knockout stage of the Copa del Rey and Champions League.

The devil is in the detail, however. Performances have been poor, particularly against the toughest opponents, and, at a club that demands good football just as much as good results, fans have not been satisfied.

Unable to sign players in an effort to improve displays, Barcelona have to work with the tools they have - and that means looking to their famed youth academy for support.

Even the fabled Barça school of football isn't without its issues these days, however. The club's B team, whose sole purpose is to supply players to the senior side, sit one point above relegation from the Spanish Second Division.

Talent is certainly there, but there are worries that it is being mismanaged - and that could soon have an impact further up the food chain.

Why the exit of two club icons?

The tense atmosphere has only been worsened by the departure of Andoni Zubizarreta and Carles Puyol.

Zubizarreta was Barça's goalkeeper when they won their first European Cup in 1992 and had been working as director of football since 2010. On Sunday, he was sacked: a mixed record in the transfer market coupled with the need for a sacrificial lamb ensuring his time was up.

Zubizarreta's departure was followed the same day by the exit of his understudy, iconic former defender Puyol.

Carles Puyol was Barcelona captain and played 100 times for Spain

Captain of the club through the most successful period in its history, he had already decided to leave, but the timing of his announcement turned the move into a gesture of solidarity with his superior.

Both departures only served to increase the focus on the club's president, Josep Maria Bartomeu, who had already been suffering in the wake of diminishing returns on the field.

Pushed by critical voices within his own board of directors, he has decided to call elections this summer one year ahead of schedule.

In all likelihood, the 51-year-old entrepreneur and engineer will have to take on Joan Laporta, who oversaw the Blaugrana's golden era in the mid 2000s and is expected to run for presidency again.

Could Lionel Messi really leave?

Perhaps the biggest concern for supporters is the prospect of losing their best player and talisman, Messi.

The Argentine's answers have grown increasingly ambiguous when questioned on his long-term future at the club, while stories of a training ground confrontation with Luis Enrique - that neither the manager nor Bartomeu have denied - suggest something is not right.

Messi's records
La Liga top scorer: 258
Barcelona's top goalscorer: 378
Champions League top scorer: 75
Most goals in a La Liga season: 50
Most consecutive La Liga matches scored in: 21
Most goals in a season: 73
Most La Liga hat-tricks in a season: 8
Most goals in a calendar year: 91

The plot thickened further, when on the same day news of his fall-out with Enrique emerged, Messi mischievously decided to follow Chelsea and Blues players Filipe Luis and Thibaut Courtois on Instagram.

That may sound trivial, but murmurs that the London club are interested in signing the Argentine have been around for some time.

In reality, the prospect of another club signing Messi are slim, not least because of his 200m euros (£156.7m) buyout clause on a contract that runs until 2018.

More probable is that his actions were an attempt to speed up the process of change that many feel the club needs. With elections now called, it may well have worked.

Is Enrique the right coach?

One change that may well arrive sooner is the manager. A club icon in his playing days and a successful former B team coach, Enrique was hailed as the man to bring 'intensity' back to Barcelona when he arrived last summer, but so far he has failed to bring quality football along with it.

Defeats in big games against Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid, along with a bizarre refusal to repeat the same starting line-up twice have seen his status slip among supporters.

Barcelona under Enrique - in all competitions
P	W	D	L	F	A
25	19	2	4	68	14

For the moment, the club insist he has their backing. With elections now on the agenda however, a change of coach may be the only calculated risk left to get voters on side should they continue to prove disgruntled.

Comparisons between his current situation and his failed stint at Roma in 2011 are increasingly frequent. That year, the Italians finished seventh, failing to qualify for either the Champions League or Europa League, a hint that his methods may not be suitable at bigger clubs.

What does the media think?

The opinion of the local press is particularly important and, at the moment, neither Enrique nor the club's board of directors are popular.

Barcelona has two main daily sports papers that are consumed on a tabloid-like scale and their voice can often sway public opinion.

One particularly telling headline this week read: "This club will self-destruct in 3,2,1…"

A number of popular radio programs spend an increasing amount of their time debating the perceived incompetency of Barca both on and off the pitch, too.

What does the future hold?

Everything changes with elections on the table. Any act carried out by the Barcelona board henceforth can be seen as part of pre-electoral campaigning - and that means populism will be difficult to resist.

In the long-term, that could mean sacking Enrique should performances fail to improve, but a more imminent move will be bringing in a figure of importance from the club's past to fill the vacant sporting director role.

Luis Enrique has lost just four games since taking over at Barcelona last summer

The best way to try and stabilise the situation would, of course, be by delivering convincing performances on the pitch, but the fixture list in the coming months does not bode well.

Atlético Madrid, who have just beaten Real Madrid 2-0 in their Copa del Rey last-16 first-leg tie, come to the Nou Camp this Sunday, while Manchester City lie in wait in the Champions League. In the cup, either a Clasico encounter or further confrontation with Atlético awaits in the next round. An already poor situation could quickly deteriorate further.

Even if Barcelona come out of those fixtures relatively unscathed, it is still unlikely to suppress public opinion for too long.

The Catalans may never return to the heady heights of the Guardiola era, but it is the speed with which they have fallen that stands out the most. Dragging them back to the top will be a huge challenge.

Ramires: A different game come Saturday

 OOJ - Ramires in action 

This weekend the league leader take on Newcastle, the team who ended their unbeaten start to the season, but Ramires says the last match between the two sides will have no bearing on Saturday's game.

That defeat finally brought a club record-equalling run of 23 matches in all competitions without loss to an end, as Chelsea FC succumbed 2-1 at St James' Park, but the Brazilian midfielder doesn't expect either set of players to be thinking about December's result come kick-off at 3pm on Saturday.

'It will be a totally different game from the one last month,' said Ramires. 'Since then we've played a lot of games, some games that we've won and one that we lost, but on Saturday we just need to play as well as we have been playing recently.

'Newcastle are a good team, you can see that, and we know how difficult it is to play against them from our earlier matches, but we just have to be prepared and do our best.'

Chelsea No7 also thinks that home advantage could work in our favour at Stamford Bridge, just as it did for the Magpies in Newcastle last time around.

'When they played at their ground they had a real go at us because they were in front of their fans, but at home we want to impose ourselves in front of our own fans, so it could be a totally different kind of game,' he explained.

'Now this is our home game, they might not come out and go for it as much as they did in Newcastle, or they could come and try to surprise us by really going for it, so there's no point going into Saturday expecting to replay the same game as we did in December.'

Laporta want Pep Guardiola back At Barca

The former club chief is keen to return in a move which would see the Bayern Munich boss in the role of sporting director at Camp Nou after the next elections

By Pilar Suarez in Barcelona

Joan Laporta will stand in the 2016 Barcelona presidential election and the former club chief plans to bring back Pep Guardiola as sporting director.

Laporta led Barca to 12 titles in his first mandate between 2003 and 2010, hiring current Bayern Munich boss Guardiola as first-team coach in 2008 for what would be the most successful spell in the club's history.

Guardiola eventually left in 2012 to take a sabbatical in New York after problems with Laporta's successor Sandro Rosell, but the pair could return to Camp Nou in tandem next year.

Goal understands Laporta has already made contact with Guardiola about a possible link-up and the Catalan coach is open to a sensational return. However, the 43-year-old, who won 14 out of a possible 19 titles as Barca boss between 2008 and 2012, would favour the role of sporting director.



Barca legend Johan Cruyff could also be back in an advisory role, while Laporta wants a side coached by players who shone in Guardiola's first spell in charge.

Carles Puyol, who resigned as assistant director of football following the sacking of Andoni Zubizarreta on Monday, told Barca in December of his plans to complete his coaching badges and the former club captain is one option under consideration. The 36-year-old could work alongside Xavi and Eric Abidal, both of whom are also keen to take up coaching roles in the near future, once they have passed the necessary Uefa exams.

Laporta, who plans to sever the club's controversial sponsorship links with Qatar Airways, would prefer to return in 2016 and would lead calls for a European Super League with Barca at the forefront of such a competition.

However, the 52-year-old lawyer will also stand if elections are moved forward to this summer.

Nigeria Player of the Year.

The people’s choice, the only choice: why the Super Eagles stopper had to win the Goal Nigeria gong

I doubt it came as a surprise to many that Vincent Enyeama was named as the Goal Nigeria Player of the Year.

A sample of some of the reader comments that were sent to our Twitter handle after the announcement was made indicate that it was a result that had been expected by many.

In a vintage year for the Super Eagles, the goalkeeper might have had more competition for the award. In 2013, for example, the likes of Victor Moses, Emmanuel Emenike, Godfrey Oboabona and Ogenyi Onazi might all have hoped to have claimed the Goal Nigeria prize (which was eventually lifted by John Obi Mikel).

Over the last 12 months, however, the aforementioned players haven’t excelled and questions must be asked about the reasons and cure for such a decline.

The Goal Nigeria team will be dissecting these issues over the coming weeks and months, but right now, we revel in the achievements of a player who would have been a POTY contender in any season.

Enyeama was consistently excellent throughout 2014 and, as importantly, he excelled in the year’s key moments.

Make no mistake, 2014 was a disappointing one for Nigeria, but it would have been a lot worse without the unswerving brilliance of Enyeama.

Enyeama | Unswerving Brilliance

Nigeria’s showing at the 2014 World Cup was perplexing. On the one hand, the Super Eagles ended their long wait for both a victory over European opposition and a place in the last 16 on the grandest stage of all.

Beyond both of those achievements, there was also the composed showing—for an hour at least—against France, Ahmed Musa’s brace against Argentina and Emenike’s powerful forward play against Bosnia-Herzegovina.

The team hardly flourished, however, and largely struggled to find their rhythm.

I would argue that Keshi’s side were lucky to escape the group stage.

Indeed, Edin Dzeko will probably still be asking himself how his point-blank effort in the second group game didn’t find the net.

Keshi had Enyeama to thank. The stopper’s incredible reactions managed to thwart the Manchester City man and guaranteed a victory for the Super Eagles. That save was as important as Peter Odemwingie’s goal.

Superb showings on the grandest stage of all

His shot-stopping skills were also on show during Nigeria’s ill-fated Cup of Nations qualification campaign.

He made two superb saves from Thievy Bifouma (one from a penalty) in the vital qualifying victory over the Republic of Congo away in Pointe-Noire, keeping the Super Eagles’ qualification campaign alive for a few days longer.

As I wrote shortly after that match: “Amidst the euphoria of the day, the elation of the moment, we must not forget Enyeama's two crucial saves - ultimately decisive.”

It is tantalising to imagine what might have been had the LOSC Lille Number One been present for the first two matches of the qualifying campaign. Nigeria conceded three at home against Claude Le Roy’s Red Devils with Austin Ejide in net…is it too much to assume that Enyeama would have done a better job than the hapless Hapoel Be’er Sheva keeper?

Afcon Qualification - What might have been?

On a broader level, the keeper deserves great credit for organising Nigeria’s defence.

The Super Eagles were the last team to be breached in the summer and kept clean sheets against both Bosnia and Iran. Over four games, Lionel Messi, Marcos Rojo and Paul Pogba were the only opposition players to beat ‘The Cat’.

This was despite first-choice left-back Elderson Echiejile being injured ahead of the tournament and Oboabona being lost in the opening match.

Nigeria’s defence impressed, despite the presence of the ageing Joseph Yobo and the previously-untested Juwon Oshaniwa.

Enyeama was instrumental in the make-shift defensive unit being so composed on the grandest stage of them all.

Enyeama | Giving Messi nightmares since 2010

Finally, while Enyeama excelled for the Super Eagles on the grandest stage of all, and in the intensity of Pointe-Noire, he has also demonstrated his class week in and week out for his club side LOSC Lille.

At the tail end of 2013 he fell short of breaking Gaetan Huard’s long-standing Ligue 1 record for consecutive clean sheets. After a slight blip, he soon returned to his impermeable ways.

From the start of February until the end of April he conceded only eight goals. As I noted recently with Goal Nigeria, from New Year’s Day to the end of the season, he kept eight clean sheets.

His excellent work between the sticks provided a platform upon which Lille secured qualification for the Champions League play-off round. Their defensive record was key to this achievement—they conceded only 26 goals all season, second only to champions Paris Saint-Germain.

Enyeama was rewarded by being named the Ligue 1 African Player of the Season, and was recently named the Best Goalkeeper in France during 2014.

He has also been honoured by CAF and has made it to the final three in the confederation’s Footballer of the Year award. Yaya Toure and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang stand in his way, but Nigeria fans, at least, will have no doubts as to who should be recognised as Africa’s finest in 2014.