Lionel Messi's early strike showed up the flaw in their conservative game plan, but Yobo took plenty of encouragement from how the match subsequently played out. "I'm proud of our team and our reaction after we fell behind," he said. "We're happy to have qualified but disappointed not to have got a better result."
That in itself says much about the ambition in the Nigeria ranks, given that
La Albicelesteboast a pair of World Cup titles and were able to bring a four-time FIFA Ballon d'Or winner to the party. "They're
one of the best teams in the world and it was a huge test for us," added the former Everton stalwart, who hardly needed a second to think before naming the greatest forward he has faced in his long career. "Oh Messi – he's the best by far. I'd already played against him in 2010 and he caused us problems then, but we managed to stop him scoring. He's a really special player. You only have to look at how he made us suffer today."
In truth, the Barcelona star was the one real difference between the teams in Porto Alegre, where Stephen Keshi's men proved that they have made tangible progress since their campaign got under way. "Lots of people said that we started off too timidly against Iran (0-0), but they were a solid team and we've improved since our first game," said Yobo. "Our third match was probably our best since the tournament began, even if it ended in defeat."
Forward momentum
With 100 caps under his belt, the veteran is now able to adopt a more detached perspective on Nigeria's results, looking beyond the outcome for a more nuanced take on the performance. Even so, a study of their scorelines suggests that the Super Eagles have been resurgent since 2001. "I've played in this side for many years, so I've been able to see it evolve," Yobo noted, having previously graced the World Cup stage at Korea/Japan 2002. "We won the Africa Cup of Nations, booked our place in the World Cup without any trouble and now we've qualified for the second round. It's not often that I've experienced so many pieces of good news in a row. That shows you we're improving. This team is young, but it's growing fast and learning quickly. We're taking confidence from our campaign so that it can help us in our next match."
That takes the African champions to Brasilia for a meeting with France, where Yobo spent the 2001/02 season during a brief spell at Marseille. Like Argentina,
Les Bleus are sure to provide another probing examination, particularly with Karim Benzema in such keen form. "We've just played against the best forward in the world, so we're ready to measure ourselves against anybody," said Yobo, before adding with a grin: "I don't see what we should be afraid of. I believe in this team, and I think we can do it."
Yobo will collect his 101st cap in that encounter, and understandably he hopes to go through his pre-match ritual a few more times yet on Brazilian soil. "If we don't win the next game, there won't be a 102nd cap and so on. But what if I can make it to 104 in Brazil?"