Former captain of the senior national team of Nigeria Austine Okocha has revealed what will play a key role for the Super Eagles of Nigeria in their quest for a win against Ivory Coast in tomorrow’s Africa Cup of Nations game, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.
Nigeria didn’t start the tournament on a sound note forcing Equatorial Guinea to a 1-1 draw making the game again the host very crucial in their quest to get to the second round of the tournament.
Ivory Coast will go into the game against Nigeria hoping to get a win which will seal their spot in the next round of the tournament. Okocha who is part of the legends invited by CAF to be a part of the tournament has given his views on the game.
“I think what the key will be is experience, desire and state of mind. For me, they are professionals, and they know the importance of this match, I think their mindset will be the key”, he said while speaking on what Super Eagles must do to win the game.
When quizzed on what went wrong in the first game, Okocha said contrary to public opinions, the team didn’t do badly going by the fact that they created a lot of opportunities, which they failed to utilize.
“I think we didn’t really play bad like many people say. There were a lot of positive things that were seen in the match. The only problem is that we didn’t take our opportunities. We created a lot of chances, which is a positive aspect for me”, he told CAFonline.
“That’s the sign of a good team. It looks like two points lost because we were favorites, but we know how difficult it is to win a match. This is also a good thing because they now know that they are not perfect and that they need to improve certain things”.
On the expectations placed on the shoulders of the reigning Africa footballer of the year to deliver the team with his goals, Okocha said although he was guilty of squandering the chances created for him, he is confident that he will bury them in subsequent games.
“We know that Victor Osimhen is a world-class goalscorer, a very great player. He needs the services of his team and I believe he got them in this first match. It’s not all the time that we see him miss clear opportunities. I think he is eager to correct his mistakes and with him, we have hope and we believe in him because we know he is capable of shining in any competition”.
Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman
