Nigeria’s Super Eagles and the Hawks of Togo lit up a sleepy suburb in Paris gifting the commune something to cheer, albeit for forty-five minutes whilst US President, Donald Trump shattered social media and perhaps the real world with his announcement on the Paris climate Agreement.
While Ahmed Musa and Kelechi Iheanacho took turns to Pluck the bird that is the Hawks of Togo, the leader of the new world was equally preparing his Paris Accord “pull out” speech.
On the day though, it was Ahmed Musa’s third minute goal; coming off a poor attempt by goalkeeper Fatao Alhassani to save Alex Iwobi’s cross.
The sloppiness gifted Nigeria the first goal. Fourteen minutes later the Super Eagles Wing men were back at it again – as Iwobi and Musa tagged team to help the 24-year-old with his second on the day.
At that point, everybody wanted in on the fun and so came Oghenekaro Etebo and Kelechi Iheanacho.
Credit: Twitter | wtroostekong
The former “picked goalkeeper Alassani’s pocket and laid the pass” for Iheanacho to simply tap in on the twenty-seven minute, and pretty much wrapped up the tie about the same time France President Emmanuel Macron broke protocol to address Trump’s decision to pull the US from a global climate deal, in English.
France President, Emmanuel Macron | Getty Images
A green earth without an active American input may have serious consequences not least with Sports kit makers Nike – the NFF’s own partners – and other US sports gear manufacturing company grappling with the rest of the world for the biggest slice of the pie.
Obama: I’m confident Americans will step up to “help protect for future generations the one planet we’ve got” https://t.co/cx5qVhAt8q pic.twitter.com/ko6qXEpay2
— CNN (@CNN) June 2, 2017
On the pitch though, it may matter little – though it shouldn’t – to the players as they prepare for next weekend’s Afcon qualifiers proper.
The friendly, was played at the 10,000 capacity Stade Municipal de Saint Leu La Foret. The grounds itself is 40km from the Paris city center; just on the way to the once infamous Calais and Amiens.
The less than 4000 fans who graced the occasion on Thursday only had to part with a paltry 10 euro.
Nigeria’s party will head back to the Continent, one of the worst hit by the effects of climate change, but that is the least of anybody’s concern – well… with 25 percent of the world’s malnourished population living in sub-Saharan Africa and with climate change likely to further worsen drought conditions in parts of the continent per Jennifer Chu [MIT News Office], it should be everyone’s concern.
