In a championship which has provided some revealing evidence of the evolving forces in football, the progress of Nigeria has been among the more pertinent.

As winners of the World Youth Championship and, later a celebrated success over Argentina in the Olympic final in Atlanta, their arrival in the last 16 of the World Cup has scarcely come as a surprise.

And yet, Brazil and Argentina notwithstanding, no team here has captured the imagination of the public in quite the same manner as the Nigerians who, by sheer athleticism, have brought a new and refreshing dimension to the game.

That is one reason why the converted, rather than the curious, will make their way to the Stade de France tomorrow to watch a meeting with Denmark which is certain to produce a fascinating contrast in styles.

In the Africans' tired second half performance against Bulgaria there seemed an inability to pace the game properly. For 45 minutes their output was enormous but, for much of the last quarter, they were barely moving as the Bulgarians forced their way back into contention.

Bora Milutinovic, their astute manager, later acknowledged the weakness. However, persuading his players to curb their natural exuberance in the hope of seeing out the full 90 minutes, is likely to be easier said than done.

After resting some key players in their final qualifying game against Paraguay, Milutinovic will press all his established players into action here in the hope of improving on their 1994 performance when they went out to Italy at the corresponding stage. For Denmark, the hope is that the urgency of the challenge will produce a suitable response. In Peter Schmeichel the Danes have an inspiring goalkeeper who fits easily into any best XI list. The problem is that, to date, Schmeichel's imposing presence has not had the effect of motivating those in front of him.

That is particularly true of Michael Laudrup, their vastly experienced midfield playmaker, who has yet to deliver. By contrast, his younger brother Brian has provided what little spark there is in their attack. However, it's going to require a more concerted effort now if they are to have a realistic chance of preventing Nigeria going through to the quarter-finals.

Their goal is now to prove that African soccer has not stagnated after Cameroon's amazing performance in 1990, when they reached the quarter-finals.