CAN 2008 Ghana 2-1 Nigeria: Michael Essien’s best Black Stars performance?

Stephen Appiah even shot an MTN advert that ended with the Black Stars captain saying ‘Let them Come’. Those three words resonated with millions of Ghanaians who had bought into the ‘host and win’ project.

However, in November 2007, tragedy struck. A knee injury Appiah had been battling, recurred.
But crocked or not, Appiah was going to the AFCON, just not as a player.

“Even without Stephen, we’ll try to do our best to win the competition. That’s why I want him to join us for our training camp and if possible to be with us during the tournament as well.

“We will use him as a special adviser because he can bring a lot to the team even without playing.” Ghana coach Claude Le Roy said.

One of many Michael Essien-themed MTN billboards that sprung up before AFCON 2008

From businesses to football fans, Ghanaians were heartbroken. Not long after the announcement, Ghanaians turned their attention to the biggest name on the team. Michael Essien. MTN changed its Appiah-centered advertising approach and went big with Michael Essien. Before long, the principal streets of Accra and many other regional capitals were punctuated with giant billboards of the Chelsea midfielder.

Essien had a similar impact at supermarkets and roadside stalls. From retro to current Puma prints, Essien’s iconic number eight dominated the displayed merchandise in many stores nationwide.

In the Black Stars dressing room, a similar change was happening.

Without Appiah, the leadership responsibility was passed to Michael Essien. Beyond the very high standards set for him, Essien, like Appiah, was expected to be the rallying point, the inspirational leader of the team.

If that was not enough, John Mikel Obi, Essien’s Chelsea teammate, had laid down the marker with some brilliant performances in the Group Stage. This was billed as an Essien versus Mikel Obi affair; a mini-rivalry within the bigger, more consequential Ghana versus Nigeria affair.

From retro to current Puma prints, Essien’s iconic number eight dominated the displayed merchandise in many stores across the country.

That meant that even though pocket-sized, yet combative Anthony Annan was the designated foil to Mikel, it was in Essien’s interest to ensure that Mikel did not outperform him. Or produce any significant contribution for that matter.

As fate would have it, Anthony Annan’s performance meant Essien did not have to babysit him. All Essien had to do was to ensure that, while Annan chased Mikel all over the pitch, the spaces left unattended to, were covered. In essence, Essien was to keep an eye on the darting runs of Ikechukwu Uche, Peter Odemwingie (who loved occupying the half spaces throughout the tournament), and any supply from wide areas to Yakubu Aiyegbeni.

Where Essien’s real influence was needed, was in helping the Black Stars to control the game in both defensive and attacking phases.

Throughout his playing career, Essien’s most prominent attribute was his horsepower turbocharged two-stroke diesel engine which allowed him to get up and down the pitch with minimal fuss. On many occasions, that attribute, while a necessary aspect of his game, overshadowed his ball-brilliant passing and intelligence.

If ever there was an occasion that required Essien to put his twin-turbo engine to good use, this was it and he did not disappoint.

Operating at full capacity, Essien covered every blade of grass, playing as though he was possessed. While his energy did not surprise anyone, it was the positions he took and the runs he made just to block passing lanes that did the trick for Ghana. It meant that even when Ghana did not have the ball, Claude Leroy’s men could influence how Nigeria and which areas they attacked often.

At the other end of the pitch, Nigeria was just as effective at keeping Ghana at bay. Ghana’s best sight of goal was a hopeful shot from Asamoah Gyan that rattled the upright after a Michael Essien pass.

Just before the interval, tragedy struck. In a moment of indiscretion, the often reliable Eric Addo pulled down Yakubu Aiyegbeni. The referee pointed to the spot and the Everton striker expertly dispatched. To make matters worse, the Nigerians mocked Ghana as they mimicked Ghana’s kangaroo dance celebration.

“When deep calleth, deep answereth’’. And so it was that on the cusp of halftime, Michael Essien produced one of the best-headed goals you would ever see. Essien made a run for the box and connected to Owusu-Abeyie’s cross to restore parity. Simple, eh? Well, not quite. Replays showed that Nigeria’s backline of Joseph Yobo, Danny Shittu, Obinna Nwaneri, and Taiye Taiwo had gone man to man, completely marking out Asamoah Gyan, Junior Agogo, and John Mensah. So unless a Nigerian defender was suddenly struck by ‘‘Kpokpogbligbli’’, the Black Stars were not going to score from that sequence of attack.

In effect, Essien’s well-timed run was the only way out. When he got there, there was no time to steady himself and wait for the cross. There was no need for that. The timing of his run was so good that he only needed to make contact without changing the course of his run. All he had to do was move slightly to his left, which he did.

The real difficulty was in generating enough power with his header from the edge of the penalty area, without a significant leap, to take it past Nigeria’s goalkeeper Austin Ejide. That is exactly what Essien produced, kissing the post as Ejide, like the millions watching across the globe, was held spellbound by the logic-defying moment.

The moments that followed captured beautifully, the essence of the goal to him. Unlike his goal against Morocco, Essien did not wheel away in celebration. Instead, he screamed his lungs out. Twice. He needed to let out all the pent-up emotions. The truth was that the pressure got to Michael Essien. But players like Essien have a God-given ability to take that kind of pressure, not only mask it, and channel it to fuel spectacular performances. It was something Essien did throughout his career.

A man sells a portrait of Ghanian football star Michael Essien 19 January 2008 in Accra on the eve of the African Nations Cup Football tournament. Local predictions for Sunday’s opener suggest Ghana are going to run away with it, in their match against Guinea. AFP PHOTO ISSOUF SANOGO (Photo credit should read ISSOUF SANOGO/AFP via Getty Images)
In 2005, then French Ligue 1 player of the season with Olympique Lyon, Essien was on the verge of joining Chelsea. In staying true to his legendary cussedness, Jean Michel-Aulas had rejected an offer of €20 million. Chelsea thought he had lost his mind. Ghanaians thought he had lost his mind. The only one in the entire transfer saga who thought that amount was not good enough for Essien, was Aulas. And he did not care even if it affected Essien, who was preparing for a crucial World Cup Qualifier against South Africa at the FNB Stadium.

But Essien is Essien. Even with Chelsea watching to see if he was worth the trouble, he produced what was at the time his best performance in Ghana colours, as the Black Stars beat South Africa 2-0.

Or that performance against prime Pavel Nedved, Parel Poborsky, and Tomas Rosicky’s Czech Republic at the 2006 World Cup. Or when he attempted murder in the name of scoring a goal by releasing a nuclear weapon against Arsenal in the Premier League in 2006.

Michael Essien of Ghana during the CAF African Cup of Nations Quarterfinal match between Ghana and Nigeria in Accra, Ghana, West Africa. (Photo by Liewig Christian/Corbis via Getty Images)
Essien has always been the man for the big occasions. But this being Nigeria, Ghana’s eternal frenemy…this being the goal that saved Ghana from imminent elimination at the Africa Cup of Nations on home soil…this being the goal that told Ghanaians that in the absence of Stephen Appiah, he could shoulder it all, it certainly meant more.

Spurred on by the goal, Essien played with a bit more freedom and authority. But not for long though. A red card to captain John Mensah meant Essien was forced to play at centre-back for Ghana. This was because Ghana coach Claude Le Roy had gone against the grain to select the injured Shilla Illiasu for the tournament instead of FC Utrecht’s Francis Dickoh.

To make matters worse, Essien’s partner in defence would be Eric Addo. The make-shift centre-back who made the mistake that led to Nigeria’s penalty and had looked jittery all evening.

If there was one thing Essien, like all great players had, is the ability to perform their tasks in a manner that simplifies the job for all others around them. In other words, they make others better.

That is exactly what Essien did. He took command of the defence, instructing his teammates and communicating to ensure they maintained the right spacing and made the right decisions at all times. This was a refreshing break from the ‘quiet-Essien’ Ghanaians had grown accustomed to. Yet, by necessity rather than nature, he assumed his new role beautifully.

His anticipation, timing of tackles, and interceptions meant that while Nigeria, buoyed by the extra man’s advantage, poured forward in droves, there was not much for them by way of chances from open play. They created none at all.

Even when Nigeria threw the kitchen sinker at Ghana in response to Agogo’s 82nd-minute goal, Ghanaians did not blink. It was, thanks in no small part, to the five-star general that was Michael Essien.
Last month, he sat down with JoySports Editor Fentuo Tahiru at his base in Denmark.

“My favorite game will be against Nigeria in the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations. I never lost against Nigeria while on the pitch,” he stated proudly.

Essien added, “I played in the friendly in London. I did not play in the match at the 2006 AFCON. If I’m on the pitch, we don’t lose. We were losing (referring to the 2008 AFCON match) and I scored.”

You did more than that, Michael. You were our angel in the dark who brought elimination where darkness threatened to set camp. Producing two world-class performances in a single game while playing in two completely different positions, with make-shift partners.

To this day, that performance and Essien’s general contribution at the tournament ranks as high as any individual performance for Ghana in a major tournament.