The Super Eagles resumed training yesterday afternoon at their base in Estádio Brinco de Ouro da Princesa, Campinas, barely 24 hours after eliminating the hard fighting Bosnia-Herzegovina from the World Cup.
Nigeria’s Stephen Keshi looks optimistically to a superlative performance of the Super Eagles as the World Cup group stage comes to a close this week.
Reflecting on Saturday’s jinx breaking victory over Bosnia Herzegovina, which was the first time Nigeria won a World Cup match in 16 years and the first time a team handled by Keshi beat a European side, the Nigerian coach said he was out for a repeat performance of the Eagles at the last Africa Cup of Nations.
“When we opened with a draw against Burkina Faso in South Africa last year, we were easily written off. But we kept improving from match to match till we achieved the ultimate goal”, remarked Keshi.
A glaring absentee in the lineup featured by Keshi on Saturday night was Victor Moses. The coach remarked that he looked at the men at his disposal and the strategy for each match to determine the materials to use.
“No player is assured of a definite role”, said the coach while dismissing wide held speculations in the media that there was disharmony in the team. He had earlier taken the opportunity to retract his earlier statement that Osaze Odemwingie did not play according to his instruction in the 26 minutes that the striker featured in the opening game against Iran.
“I did not single out Osaze. I was talking generally about all the players”, Keshi said before the match with Bosnia Herzegovina. Osaze became the match winner, scoring the solitary goal against Asmir Begovic, his club goalkeeper at Stoke City.
Keshi insisted he was not going to talk on how he hoped to overcome Argentina since Nigeria’s fate is still tied to the possible outcome of Iran versus Bosnia Herzegovina
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