Eagles are in the final stages of the World Cup campaign, with a September 7 match against the Flames of Malawi in Calabar to decide which team progress to the final two-legged play-off against a yet-to-be-determined nation in October.
Eagles top the group and need to avoid a defeat at home to emerge champions of the pool but speaking with Sports Vanguard in Benin City, during the funeral of an ex-Eagles midfielder, Thompson Oliha, Okorowanta said that a bloated ego can undo Nigeria’s bid to qualify for the global soccer showpiece event in Brazil.
“It is true that our destiny is in our hands but it is important for the Super Eagles not to take their opponents for granted because it may backfire on us. Our top rating as African champions is enough reason for our opponents to do the extra work to shock us at home.
“During our days, teams like Malawi were nowhere near us but today, things have changed. Teams, who are thought to be underdogs are making inroads into uncharted territories and it is now us to the Eagles to show that they are a dominant side by beating Malawi in September.
“But the danger is that if we take things for granted and enter the pitch like as if we had already won the match, then it could backfire on us. We must stay focussed and play like fighters. Only the Eagles can stop themselves from reaching the World Cup”, added Okorowanta.
Source: Vanguard
No comments:
Post a Comment