The member representing Ajeromi-Ifelodun Federal Constituency in the National Assembly, Hon. Kolawole Taiwo has tasked the Super Eagles to continue their impressive performance, with the AFCON title as the major target.
The experienced legislator who is an ardent football lover and grassroots sports promoter commended the Super Eagles for redeeming their flagging image before soccer-loving Nigerians with the outstanding display against Egypt.
” You know, Nigerian football is renowned for its uniqueness. It’s fast, exciting, vibrant, and full of energy. That’s what we saw against Egypt on Tuesday.
” I’m convinced that this team has the potentials to go ahead and win the cup. Therefore, I urge the team to go out on Saturday and also defeat Sudan.
The lawmaker fondly called HKT noted that the performance of the team resonated confidence, determination, and the never-say-never of the average Nigerian to achieve its goals.
He went on to admonish the team not to be complacent and to take every other game as the cup final.
It is less than 48 hours after their memorable defeat of the Pharaohs of Egypt in the opening match of Group D of the 33rd Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon and the Super Eagles have shifted their focus completely to Saturday’s confrontation with the Falcons of Jediane (Sudan) at the Stade Roumdé Adjia in Garoua.
Just as happened in their debut 59 years ago, Nigeria had Egypt and Sudan lined up as their first two opponents of the competition. In 1963, the Egyptians hammered the Cinderellas 6-3, and Sudan followed with a 4-0 whiplash of the newcomers.
Tuesday’s 1-0 success was Nigeria’s first-ever win over Egypt in a first match at the AFCON. Twelve years ago, in the Angolan city of Benguela, the Pharaohs came from a deficit as a result of Chinedu Obasi’s early goal to lash the Eagles 3-1.
Apart from their 4-0 win over the Super Eagles in 1963 in Accra, the Falcons’ 1-0 defeat of Nigeria in an AFCON qualifier in Khartoum in October 2014 was one of the principal reasons for the absence of the green-and-white in the 30th finals in Equatorial Guinea seven years ago.
So much has changed in 59 years and the Eagles are quietly confident of victory over the Sudanese when both teams tango at the 30,000 –capacity venue in northern Cameroon on Saturday evening.
