Sports
Nigerians Optimistic Of Eagles Winning Remaining Group Matches
Nigerians yesterday expressed optimism that the Eagles will win the remaining matches in Group D.
Tidesports source reports that the Super Eagles lost 2-0 to Croatia in their maiden match in the group.
Other countries in the Argentina and Iceland.
Tidesports source gathered that Nigeria will face Iceland on June 22 and play their last group D game against Argentina on June 26.
Mr Layi Adesiyan, the Director of Sports, Youths and Special Needs in Osun State, says Super Eagles can win the remaining matches in their group.
Adesiyan told newsmen in Abuja yesterday that Super Eagles needed to focus on other matches.
Super Eagles lost 2-0 to Croatia in their maiden match in the group D.
He said that the technical crew should immediately start to prepare for the remaining games.
“We should not start to blame players and coach for the loss by now, rather we should be thinking about what to do to encourage the team.
“The technical crew needs to work more in all the departments of the team; the goalkeepers, the midfielders, the attackers and the defenders.
“Each player should be given the appropriate responsibility and by now the coach should know what department each player belongs.
“The coach needs to be apt in ensuring necessary substitution where he notices a gap. We can’t just come home without wining any team in our group stage,’’ Adesiyan said.
Also speaking, Godfrey Gaiya, former Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Sports yesterday advised Super Eagles’ Head Coach, Gernot Rohr, to go back to the players used for the World Cup qualification.
Gaiya told newsmen in Abuja that the performance of the Super Eagles was expected.
Reacting to the 2-0 defeat of the Eagles, Gaiya said the team was a work in progress, saying that, in the match played in Kaliningrad, the Eagles lost through an own goal by Oghenekaro Etebo
and a Luka Modric penalty kick.
He advised the head coach to go back to players used to gain the World Cup qualification.
“For now, there is nothing we can do to remedy the situation, let us make this change to avoid further embarrassment.
According to him, the outcome is what most of us saw coming.
“ I am an active supporter of the national team but I did not go to Russia with the team because in spite of their preparations, the team doesn’t have quality that can compete at that level.
“Basically, we have an assembly of average young players that are struggling in their various clubs and I don’t think that the World Cup is an avenue for such players to be thrown into in the mix of teams like Argentina, Iceland and Croatia.
“ I thought we could have depended more on players that we can trust not introducing very young players at the dying minute of the preparations.
“You can see that there are about four or five players that came in long after we have qualified for the tournament.
“And these players are coming in from clubs that were never using them, who will have said that Francis Uzoho will be the one keeping when he has never tested such competition.
“We were not expecting this team for the World Cup, the team is a team for the future and not for this World Cup.
“The team is a work in progress, a team that if we allowed them to stay together in the next two to four years, they can do well,” he said.
But the Enugu chapter of Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), said lack of cohesion among individual players brought painful loss to the Super Eagles in the ongoing World Cup.
Only Denmark, ranked 21st globally, sits higher among nations that failed to qualify for the tournament, which is being co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.
England and Chelsea legend John Terry was among those to voice his disappointment, describing Nigeria as a significant loss to a tournament that features 48 nations for the first time.
“Nigeria will be a big miss. This is a World Cup for participants who haven’t had the opportunity to play in the tournament. I would have loved to see a top team like Nigeria there because they’ve got some great individuals. They’re a great nation,” Terry said during a virtual roundtable session organised by SuperSport.
“I think they are a big miss because Nigeria probably would have gone further in the competition, but unfortunately, one side’s loss is another’s gain,” the former England captain added.
Eric Chelle’s side finished second in Group C of the CAF World Cup qualifiers behind South Africa, who secured automatic qualification. Nigeria kept their hopes alive with a playoff semi-final victory over Gabon before falling to the Democratic Republic of Congo on penalties in the decisive playoff final — their second successive absence from the World Cup after also missing the 2022 tournament in Qatar.
The Nigeria Football Federation later challenged DR Congo’s qualification, alleging the use of ineligible players during the campaign, but the appeal was dismissed.
Despite missing the World Cup, the Super Eagles remain Africa’s 3rd highest-ranked team behind Morocco, who sit seventh in the world, and Senegal. Algeria and Egypt complete the continent’s top five.
Defending champions Argentina enter the tournament as the world’s top-ranked side, ahead of Spain, France, England and Portugal. Brazil are sixth, followed by Morocco, the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.
The next FIFA World Ranking will be released on July 20, a day after the World Cup final.
Chima Akachukwu and Miracle Akhigbe are among the 16 notable stars picked by the Nigeria Cricket Federation (NCF) for the forthcoming Namibia Tour, where the YellowGreens will compete in a T20 and 50-Over Tri-Series, featuring hosts Namibia and Hong Kong China.
Both players make their way back into the YellowGreens fold after periods away from the side and will be eager to contribute their experience and quality as Nigeria pursues success in Namibia.
The NCF said yesterday that the squad, which departs Nigeria today, forms part of the national team’s continued preparations for future international assignments as the YellowGreens seek to build on recent performances and strengthen their standing on the global stage.
Leading the squad is Captain Sulaimon Runsewe, who will spearhead Nigeria’s campaign against two formidable opponents in what promises to be a highly competitive series.
The selected squad combines experienced internationals with emerging talents, providing the technical crew an opportunity to assess player development and team combinations in both the T20 and 50-over formats.
The team will be led on tour by Coaches Leke Oyede and Tamuno John, who will oversee preparations and match operations during the opening phase of the series.
Joining the squad later in Namibia will be the newly appointed Head Coach and High Performance Manager, Stephen Magongo, whose arrival marks another significant step in the Federation’s commitment to strengthening the national team structure and enhancing player development pathways.
Supporting the coaching staff are Team Analyst Jamal Okechukwu, Strength and Conditioning Coach Seye Olympio, and Team Physiotherapist Timothy Adesomowo, forming a well-rounded technical crew focused on maximising player performance and welfare throughout the tour.
The NCF views the Namibia Tri-Series as an important platform for the continued growth of the national team, offering valuable international exposure and competitive match experience against quality opposition. The series will provide the players and technical crew with another opportunity to evaluate progress, fine-tune strategies, and build momentum ahead of future international competitions.
The YellowGreens will face Namibia and Hong Kong China in both T20 and 50-over contests, with the matches expected to test the team’s adaptability, discipline, and resilience in challenging conditions.
Blessing Otu on Monday overcame hard-fighting Kelvin Bebe- Emmanuella in two sets of 6-1, 6-3 to qualify for the second round of the women’s singles of the ongoing 47th Central Bank of Nigeria Senior Tennis Championship, held at the Tennis Courts of the package “B” of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja.
Speaking after the round of 32 game, Otu, who will be 19 years old in September, said she capitalised on her opponent’s weaknesses to gain victory, having studied her game very well.
“Bebe is a very good and tough player. But I studied her game and did the job well.
“Although she tried to come back in the second set, I punctured all her tricks to win the match and move on. I wish I could continue like this in the rest of my games,” she said.
Another member of the Otu family, John Out, was also victorious as he defeated Mohammed Abdusalam 2-1 (6-2, 6-7, 6-1) in the men’s singles category to advance into the round of 32.
But the third Otu in the game, Thomas, was not that lucky as he lost by 6-0, 7-5 in two straight sets to Danjuma Isaac.
In other matches, Michael Emmanuel defeated Ibrahim Aminu to advance, while Drimiya Mevi outclassed Seyi Ogunsakin by beating him 2-1 (6-7, 6-3, 6-1). Action continues tomorrow when other top players, including the men’s singles top seed, Abua Cannice, join the chase for honours.
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