Sports
Moses Simon: Super Eagles Must Be Wary Of All Teams
Pharaohs of Egypt tormentor-in-chief in the AFCON Group D opener against Super Eagles of Nigeria, Moses Simon, talks about the team’s focus in Cameroon and his battle to get to the top. Taiwo Alimi captures his words.
Super Eagles and Nantes of France speedy winger was the direct choice for MVP by millions of fans that watched the AFCON 2021 Group D opener between Nigeria and Egypt last Tuesday.
This is because the petit winger was the tormentor in chief of the highly rated Pharaohs, constantly dashing in from the left flank, and instrumental in dismantling the Egyptian game plan. One of his incursions also led to the lone goal fired in by Kelechi Iheanacho in the first half.
Though, Iheanacho walked away with the MVP award, most social media soccer forums in Nigeria gave the award to Moses. Even Coach Austin Eguavoen said after the game that he found it hard to replace Simon. “We know the strength of our players, we know Ejuke is good from the left side, but it was impossible to substitute Simon so we put Ejuke on the right.
“It was a tactical change and Ejuke had chances to finish the game. For Umar, maybe first time nerves in such a big stage, he gave me some excuses after the game and we will talk to him later.”
Former captain of the Super Eagles, Austin Okocha, while heaping praises on Simon, after the game, described him as ‘a menace’ against the Pharaohs on Tuesday.
He said, “For me, Moses Simon is the man of the match. He tormented the defence line of the Pharaohs of Egypt.
“He was a menace. Hello p brought out many crosses that would have led to goals. I think he caused a lot of havoc and he deserved the man of the match, anyway my opinion.”
“This is the Super Eagles that we usually fight together, work together, that I saw today,” he added.
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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