Okumagba Salutes Resilient Eagles, Alerts of Algeria Challenge in AFCON Semi-Finals News

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Okumagba Salutes Resilient Eagles, Alerts of Algeria Challenge in AFCON Semi-Finals

By Victor Enyinnaya on July 12, 2019

National President of Super Eagles Supporters Club (SESC), Prince Vincent Okumagba, has saluted the resilient qualities of the Super Eagles as the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) football tournament enters the semi-final stages. He noted that the way and matter the team approached its game against fast-playing South Africans in the quarter-finals, matching them ball to ball, marking for marking, and not giving them enough space for the opponents to run around with the ball, signified that the Nigerians are in Egypt for serious business.

In a telephone chat with Daily Sports from Egypt, Okumagba observed that the way the first goal came was the tonic that propelled the team to victory in the crucial encounter.

“The goal from Samuel Chukwueze put Eagles on right frame of mood while it placed Bafana Bafana under pressure thenceforth making the Eagles to press further for the leader which compact defensive network of Bafana Bafana players never allowed easily until the 71st minute when Ekong nodded home for Nigeria’s winner. It was a highly tactical game which any of the sides could claim victory but Nigeria was the first to score such winner,” he observed.

Okumagba insisted that the approach the team adopted since the knock-out stage began has worked for it in the last two matches and prayed that it will repeat itself in Sunday’s semi-final cracker against Algeria.

According him, the semi-final match against Algeria won’t be child’s play as the stage would be set for another tug of war of a football game.

His words: “The truth is that against equally desperate Algeria, Nigerians must have it on the back and in front of their minds that it will go beyond mind gaming as both nations have had their fair shares in past meets and then vigilance would play more roles to aid the fittest country advance to the final. It is one game Gernot Rohr and his boys must tell themselves the home truth and sit up right from the referee’s blast of the whistle. The technical bench must advance concentrated formula that will ensure water tight departments in the team so as not to allow the North Africans to get better part of the big brother. I am convinced that if nothing sinister goes wrong and Eagles intact mentally, physically and spiritually then Nigerians are set to smile to the 2019 AFCON final in Egypt.”

The SESC chief urged the players to zero their minds for the worst because they are also equal to the task bearing in mind their pedigree and the goodies that the Federal Government, individuals, corporate bodies and the respective governors in the states would splash on them. They must up their spirit as they must realise that their opponent don’t play with two legs at the same time and bring out the ever resilient Eagles spirit in them and doggedness Eagles are known for which it has proven thus far.

“Super Eagles Supporters Club is fully on ground drumming and chanting all in support of our dear national side. We will continue to redouble this self-assigned task as our ultimate sacrifice for the love of the game and our fatherland. Our patriotism towards that lane can never be lacking. We are in total support of our Eagles and God’s willing we will drum and chant into the final. I urge the boys to show focus, diligence, determination, coordination, resolute and above all being upwardly mobile in the field minding that football as a team sport needs co-operation from individual players to complement each for optimum result,” he pointed out.

He charged Rohr to ensure he will throw up tighter strategy that would effective contain either opponent for the next crucial game. He however observed that the defence tided up better against South Africa than Cameroun stressing that he should do more and bring in tactical and fit as fiddle like players to square up against whoever would be our next invader, he counsels.

•Photo shows SESC Boss, Prince Okumagba

Source Daily Sports

Posted July 12, 2019