Nigeria’s Super Eagles know they will have both legs firmly in the tournament’s Round of 16 if they scoop all three points against Sudan in their second match of Group B at the 33rd Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon on Saturday evening.
Three preious points off arguably their fiercest opponents in the pool, Egypt on Tuesday have boosted the confidence and bounce of the three-time champions, and the training sessions of Wednesday, Thursday and Friday have sought to increase the tempo rather than encourage any form of complacency.
With the Falcons of Jediane and the Wild Dogs of Guinea Bissau ending their tie scoreless, the door is open for the Eagles to become the first qualifiers for the Round of 16 in Group D as they confront the Sudanese, who will be looking for a win to boost their chances of reaching that stage.
All 26 players (bar the injured defender Chidozie Awaziem) were on duty on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, with Head Coach Augustine Eguavoen telling the boys clearly that they are yet to win anything, but on the way to doing great things if they keep level heads.
The enthusiasm is palpable. At the pre-match press conference on Friday, Eguavoen maintained his trademark calm mien and assured that his boys will go out to play positively to win on Saturday, with discipline and focus being the watchwords for them within the 90 minutes.
According to Eguavoen, “We saw the game between Sudan and Guinea Bissau on Tuesday and what I can assure you is that we will not be under-rating them. We are taking it one match at a time and will approach this game differently from how we set up against Egypt. We will throw in our very best.”
Victory will not only assure the Eagles of a place in the Round of 16, but also brings closer the possibility of topping the group and therefore retaining the familiar surroundings of Garoua as venue.
Winger Moses Simon, who was a thorn in the flesh of the Egyptians on Tuesday, told media representatives on Friday that he has never been happier in the Nigeria camp in past two years, being able to play in his preferred position and with the players given a say in what formation they desire to set up on the terrain.
Follow us on:
IPOB distanced itself from Simon Ekpa, calling him a “destructive agent” who infiltrated and destabilised…
Biden has condemned ICC's arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant, calling them "outrageous" amid global…
Chukwuma Ezeala has said that despite Simon Ekpa’s arrest, identifying his disciples in Southeast Nigeria…
The federal government has reinstated Professor Joseph Ikechebelu as acting Vice-Chancellor of UNIZIK, nullifying Professor…
Court of Appeal has overturned the Federal High Court ruling barring INEC from releasing voter…
Kenya has cancelled airport and energy deals with Adani following US bribery and fraud charges…