The Minister of Sports Development Senator John Owan Enoh and the Comptroller General of Customs (CGC) Adewale Bashiru Adeniyi have tasked the senior male national football team, the Super Eagles, to go for an outright victory against the Elephants of Ivory Coast in their second group game at the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) which comes up on Thursday, 18th January 2024.
The two former African champions are in the same group with Equatorial Guinea and Guinea Bissau. While the Ivorians defeated Guinea Bissau by 2 goals to nothing, Nigeria forced The Thunder of Equatorial Guinea to 1-1 draw.
While urging the Jose Peseiro-led team to redouble their efforts to make amends for Sunday’s draw, the minister said Thursday’s game is another opportunity for the Eagles to show the stuff they are made while advising them to reawaken the 2013 spirit against the same opponent.
“Thursday’s game gives us an opportunity to make a statement by going ahead to feast on the Elephants in their backyard. I am urging the Super Eagles to remain resolute as we will be playing against 11 players on the pitch, the home fans and even the weather. We must be mentally superior for the entire duration of the game as we need to secure a victory to boost our chances of advancing to the next round.”
“The Government and people of Nigeria are behind our beloved Super Eagles and have always been a source of pride for our nation. I call upon each player to give their best on the field and make a lasting impression. Winning the second game against Ivory Coast is not just a victory for the team but a statement of our football prowess on the continent.
“We held our own down that night in South Africa playing against the golden generation of Ivorian football to claim a sweet 2-1 victory in the quarterfinal. If we did it ten years ago, then let’s do it again.”
Customs boss, Bashiru Adeniyi, urged the players to approach the game like a cup final saying millions of Nigerians hope hang on their shoulders while expressing hope that the boys will deliver against their opponents.
“I’ll say the chances are there and the stakes are indeed very very high. We’ve sent the first few matches in the tournament true to type to most tournaments like that. Most big teams would start rather slowly, rather cautiously. You don’t want to put everything you have to the first game and then you begin to struggle in the other games.
“We have a very crucial match again Cote d’Ivoire, high rated in Africa. They have some of the best footballers playing professionally in leagues all over the world. But we (Nigeria) are also not pushovers. So I want to believe that our boys will rise up to the occasion this time. I’m very confident. It’s a match we don’t have to win but it’s important that we don’t lose it. I am very optimistic we would all it can to scale through into the second half,” the CGC told Sporting Tribune.
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