The Super Eagles gaffer made minute adjustments at critical periods in Monday's game to see off the Mena at CHAN 2016

Monday’s 4-1 hiding of Niger was the perfect illustration of how influential various game-states can be within the context of a football match. It was not so much a game of two halves as one of various segments; viewed in that light, it was not one victory, but a combination of many little microcosmic victories.

The first quarter of an hour saw the Super Eagles struggle for control, and their lack of stability showed in an early heavy foul-count. The early casualty of this, and perhaps the sacrifice for Sunday Oliseh’s first mini-triumph, was Jamiu Alimi. The Shooting Stars defender, shorn of regular defensive partner Austin Obaroakpo, looked like a giraffe on skates, and was promptly hauled off after earning the game’s first booking.

The introduction of Orji Kalu brought a semblance of calm, and while the team struggled to click into gear in a frustrating first period, it could rest in the knowledge that the back door stayed firmly shut.

A blistering start to the second period saw Nigeria edge ahead. Tunde Adeniji, serial loiterer behind the Niger backline all through the opening half, held his run to receive in the channel, and a calm head picked out Osas Okoro at the back post. The Rangers man replicated the coolness of execution, his cushioned volley contrasting beautifully with the passionate frothiness of a frenzied restart.

It was somewhat reminiscent of the sort of urgency the Super Eagles displayed in November’s World Cup qualifier against Swaziland after a stale first half; something in the team talk, perhaps?

What came after went completely against the logical progression from the first half: four more goals, including a hat-trick for Abia Warriors’ Chisom Chikatara. Would he have decided the game so utterly with the score still goalless?

It is unlikely, and his introduction at a point when the team had ceded the initiative to the Mena proved an inspired decision by Oliseh.

Emboldened by the passivity of their more illustrious opponents, Niger charged headlong over the cliff, careless in their desperation and leaving cavernous gaps. Their inexperience in chasing a one-goal deficit so early in the half was pitiful to watch, but there was no clemency from Chikatara. The ‘kolanut boy’ left a bitter taste in Nigerien mouths, volleying in from Okoro’s pass to double the advantage, and then quelling a potential comeback with a cool finish from inside the six-yard box.

His third, the culmination of a flowing move that saw him exchange passes with the lively but profligate Prince Aggreh, sealed a statement display from Oliseh’s team. For a team that has struggled for goals somewhat, this was almost the perfect result, clean sheet aside. That said, Zakari Adebayor’s blast was almost literally a bolt out of the blue, and is surely an early frontrunner for goal of the tournament.

It will be interesting to see how this team handles the ‘favourites’ tag—a result such as this surely paints a giant bull’s eye on the Super Eagles. It is unlikely either Guinea or Tunisia will be quite as callow, but by toting up little battles, Oliseh could well be on his way to winning the war.