Eagles
By Emmanuel Okara
Lagos, June 23, 2018 (NAN) The Super Eagles have once again won back the hearts of their die-hard fans, after a well deserved 2-0 victory over the Strakkamir Okkar of Iceland in a Group D match at the ongoing World Cup in Russia.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Ahmed Musa’s second half brace was what clinched the valuable three points at stake for the Super Eagles.
The victory catapulted Nigeria to the second position on Group D standings with three points behind Vatreni of Croatia who have six points.
While the Strakkamir Okkar and the Albiceleste of Argentina have one point each after two matches.
The victory by the Super Eagles over their Northern European counterparts was described as a patriotic act, by Ben Duamlong, a former Assistant Super Eagles Coach at the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup.
“Apart from being a patriotic act in the way and manner the boys went about the task, the players displayed a remarkable improvement in their performance.
“I have always believed that the Super Eagles will live up to expectations amid the misgivings of lots of football fans.
“The players should also realise that they are playing at the biggest stage of world football and use the platform to showcase their talents to prospective employers,” the former coach added.
Duamlong, who was a former Green Eagles Goalkeeper, urged Francis Uzoho to be more composed and authoritative in his goalpost area of the field.
“The goalkeeper seems unsettled because of his theatrics and sometimes mistimed jump.
“Uzoho should instead concentrate and organise his defenders properly, especially during corner kicks and set pieces,” the former national keeper told NAN.
On what the Super Eagles should do to stand the chance of getting a good result against the Albiceleste of Argentina on June 26 at St Petersburg, the veteran coach told NAN that the players must see the match as a new challenge.
“Emphasis should be on the importance of the match and the need for the players to be totally focused to get the job done.
“A win will definitely bring glory to the Fatherland and personal glory to the players and the team as a whole.
“It will ultimately depend on the leadership of the Nigeria Football Federation to put the message across to the players in a manner they will understand,” Duamlong said. (NAN)
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(Editing by Peter Ejiofor)