Akwa United of Uyo attacker, Aniekeme Asuquo has confessed that it was a huge relief for him and his colleagues in the youth national team, that they were able to beat Ghana in the West African Football Union (WAFU) U-20 Cup of Nations.
Asuquo told sports247.ng that they all entered Wednesday’s last group match against the Ghanaians with trepidation, knowing fully that defeat would mark the end of their campaign in the regional competition.
Although Nigeria drew goalless with Niger Republic in their first match, and Ghana lost 1-0 to the same country, Asuquo insisted that long rivalry between both countries made the last fixture very decisive.
He is, however, excited that the Flying Eagles pulled through, and hailed his colleagues for a job well done coming from a goal down to win 4-2.
That effectively earned the Nigerian team a place in the semi-final as group winners, and Asuquo told sports247.ng that the fear of exiting the competition early propelled them to respond well.
Asuquo admitted: “I must confess that we were all scared, after going down against Ghana at the early stage of the game.
“However, the fear of leaving the competition prematurely spurred us back strong and I am happy that all my colleagues rose to the occasion.”
