Head coach of Zimbabwe Michael Nees has sounded a note of warning to his players ahead of tomorrow’s World Cup Qualifiers game against the Super Eagles of Nigeria, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.
Zimbabwe fought from two goals down to draw 2-2 at home against Benin Republic on Thursday, while Nigeria secured their first win in the qualifiers with a 2-0 win over Rwanda away in Kigali on Friday.
Speaking ahead of the game at the Godswill Akpabio stadium, Nees said his players must try to avoid the slow start that saw them fall two goals behind against Benin Republic against the Super Eagles,because of the quality of the Nigerian team.
He said: “Nigeria is absolute top level. We cannot allow a slow start to the game to happen…
“We must be there from the beginning in our game. Our concentration must be there because the goals (against Benin on Thursday), when you look at it, were a little gifted from us.”
Nees went ahead to rate the chances of his team making it to the 2026 World Cup saying there is still a lot of points to play for, and they won’t give up until the very end.
“Nobody can predict anything. As a sportsperson, you have to fight until the end because everybody wants a fair competition.
“That’s number one. If you don’t do that, you shouldn’t play football. Second, the group is not decided yet. There’s still 15 points to play for and we must take every game seriously.”
Ade Emmanuel
