Sports
2013 Qualifiers: Super Eagles, Eagles, Put Nigerians Into Celebration
It was celebration galore for
Nigerian
football fans on Saturday, especially, those at the U.J. Esuene Stadium,
Calabar as the Super Eagles Secured the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations’ ticket in
grand style.
The Coach Stephen Keshi led Super Eagles trounced the Lone
Star of Liberia 6-1 in the second leg final round of qualifier to book their
place in the continental championship, 8-3 aggregate.
Less than 24 hours later at the same venue, Golden Eaglets
of Nigeria took a giant step to qualifying for the African U-17 Youth
Championship with a comprehensive 3-0 victory over their Guinean counterparts
in the first leg final round qualifying match.
With the Eaglets victory, Nigeria is 90 minutes away from
confirming their place in Morocco.
On Saturday, the Super Eagles could not have given Nigeria
and Nigerians a better gift than the decisive way they dismantled the boastful
Liberians.
The Lone Star had sneaked into the country less than 48
hours to kick off and promised to overwhelm the Super Eagles.
However, less than a minute into the crucial game, Nigeria
was set on the path of victory when right back, Efe Ambrose jumped highest to
connect a header to Victor Moses’ lofty in-swinger for the first goal.
Though it was the Liberians who seemed to settle down
quicker, inspite of being behind, with good team play, Nigeria’s Ahmed Musa
made it 2-0 in the first half after connecting Emmanuel Emenike’s pass.
If the Lone Star played better in the first half, the Super
Eagles raised their quality in the second, starting the half like the first,
with an early goal by Victor Moses.
Afterwards, there were further goals from Mikel Obi, his
first for the Eagles, Moses, his second of the day and Super sub, Ikechukwu
Uche.
Liberia however, succeeded in denying Vincent Enyeama and
his defence a clean sheet when they scored a consolatory goal before Nigeria’s
sixth.
Before the match, most Nigerian fans and officials were
apprehensive of the eventual outcome, recalling how the team blew the ticket to
the last Nations Cup to Equatorial Guinea and Gaban.
But after the comprehensive victory, Nigerians were united
in celebration oblivious of the rain that marked the day.
Even the numerous sins of the Eagles, especially, Mikel,
were forgiven in the sea of emotions.
A well-known football pundit in the State, Chief Christopher Okonkwo has lauded the efforts and vision of the Super Eagles Coach Eric Chelle for going from one venue of the Nigeria Domestic Nigeria Professional Football League match to the other in monitoring Nigerian players, with a view to invite some exceptional good one discovered into the main stream of the Super Eagles team.
Okonkwo, who made the commendation in an interview at the Port Harcourt Club recently, described the positive move by Coach Chelle as a good step in the right direction, noting that the practice was how its been done in the past among any contracted coach assigned to tinker the Super Eagles team.
“Truly, it has been an old tradition in the country seeing any newly engaged Coach to lead the National team, visiting some our Nigeria League venues during the league matches to spot light some good talents that could be used to beef up some grey areas in the department of Eagles team”
He, however, frowned at the current situation where our coaches had continously been over depending on the use of foreign based players during invitation of players to the National camp, thereby, relegating the domestic home based league players to the background as if they have nothing much to offer to the team.
“I can vividly recall that the likes of great players in the mode of Finidi George, Taribo West, Kanu Nwankwo, Austin Okocha, Richard Owobokiri, Emmanuel Osuigwe among others started from Nigeria football league before they graduated to play in Europe through which they later invited to Super Eagles camp to represent Nigeria”
“Besides, I’m also of the view that going to secondary school football competitive games could equally serves as a a good platform to discover budding talents that could be nurtured to become great stars in near future”, Okonkwo frankly added.
Okonkwo, therefore, prayed that any football coach to be engaged by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to tinker the Super Eagles should be told not to confine himself in staying in big hotel alone but to be visiting some of our local league match venues, with a view to discover some good players that can be drafted into the Super Eagles team.
“Indeed, I stand to be challenged that there some young good players in the Nigeria Professional League. If spotted and exposed, could give the some of the invited foreign based players a stiff competitive fight in securing a postion in the team”, Okonkwo emphatically stated.
Ezechukwu, one of the youngest members of the Nigerian contingent at the championship in Ghana, said her ambition was to win the 100m title in style and cap it with a new personal record.
The fresh secondary school graduate explained that she is fully focused on contributing to Team Nigeria’s medal hopes and is determined to deliver strong performances across her events.
“My main objective in Ghana is to clinch the 100m title and the 4×100m,” Ezechukwu told Tidesports source.
“Nigeria can be assured of my very best and my commitment to the Team. I would love to set a new personal best in Ghana, but anything that comes, I will take it. The spirit in the team is high, and I think we are ready to go,” she said.
Ezechukwu, who was part of Nigeria’s women’s 4x100m relay squad at the World Relays in Botswana, said the experience gained from that competition has strengthened her mindset heading into the continental championships.
She admitted that she learned valuable lessons from her previous outing, including a difficult moment during the relay where an early error affected the team’s rhythm, but said she has used the experience to improve her discipline and composure.
“The secret is just being disciplined, training hard and trusting my coach and believing in God, and the result will show,” she added.
The teenager is part of a 41-member Nigerian team comprising 24 female and 17 male athletes competing at the championships, which begin today at the University of Ghana, Legon.
Nigeria are expected to compete across multiple track and field events as they aim for a strong finish against the continent’s elite athletes.
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