MEMBERS of the Super
Eagles have assured Nigerian football fans that they will correct the lapses in
the team that resulted in them suffering a 1-2 loss to Team USA on Friday before
their World Cup campaign begins next week.
During a lacklustre display that saw the team lack any spirit, cutting edge
or fight, the Super Eagles were totally outfought on Friday and conceded two
avoidable goals. Although they got a late penalty that ensured the game ended
1-2, Team USA totally dominated the match and could have won by a higher
margin.
Coming on the back of two previous average performances that involved playing
a 2-2 draw with Scotland and a 0-0 draw with Greece, the poor performance has
raised doubts about how ready the team is for the World Cup. Fans have begun
questioning whether the Eagles can attain the goal of at least reaching the
quarter finals of the World Cup but the players have said they will not let the
nation down.
Speaking on behalf of his teammates, defender Godfrey Oboabona said he is
disappointed by the two goals conceded in the 1-2 loss to the US, blaming it on
a lack of communication. Both goals were scored by Sunderland striker Joze
Altidore, who was left unmarked for the first and beat skipper Joseph Yobo for
the second.
Oboabona said: “I think it was a lack of communication that led to the two
goals because these are the kind of goals that for the last two years I have not
seen us concede. I am not the kind of player that criticises another player
because everybody makes mistakes and nobody is perfect but I think we will have
to work and communicate well.”
Friday's loss ended an eight-game unbeaten run for the Super Eagles and the
players are hoping to resume their winning ways when their World Cup starts on
June 16 in Curitiba against Iran. Training has already resumed and the team is
due to arrive in Brazil this week, where it is expected to play one more
warm,-up match before the tournament starts.
Oboabona added: “I’m a bit disappointed but not too disappointed because the
major purpose of being here is to identify our weaknesses. It is better we lose
today than get to the World Cup and lose and I think everybody has to learn from
this.
“Individually, we have to fight, we have to work hard and when we lose the
ball, we have to come back. We are not putting as much seriousness or commitment
as we used to do before but we will have to talk to ourselves so we know what we
have to do.”
Alhaji Shehu Adamu, a member of the Nigerian Football Federation's board and
a former Kaduna State sports commissioner, added that despite the loss, the
Super Eagles’ final preparation for the World Cup was still on track. He pointed
out that what the Eagles had achieved over the last two years was beyond the
loss to the US.
“We believe coach Stephen Keshi has selected the best for Nigeria and also
for the continent and I have no doubt in my mind that Nigeria will do well at
the 2014 World Cup. Keshi has only lost one match out of the friendly matches
the team played in preparation for the World Cup, yet people are still
criticising him.
“You can’t judge the team by the friendlies and how many friendly matches
they have won, drawn or lost. So, if you go by that statistics, we are in a
better place to say that we have a team that is going to do well in Brazil.,"
Alhaji Adamu added.
He said every other need for the team’s success in Brazil, especially the
funds, have been released by the government. According to Alhaji Adamu, the only
way to justify the government’s support for football was for the Super Eagles to
surpass their previous World Cup record.
Courtesy Nigerian News watch....
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