2015 AFCON: Keshi Speaks After Super Eagles' Loss To Congo

Following yesterday’s Super Eagles’ 2-3 loss to Congo in the first leg qualifier for 2015 African Cup of Nations (AFCON), head coach Stephen Keshi said he could foresee the outcome before the match end.

Stephen Keshi

After the unsuccessful first game in Calabar, Nigeria now occupies the 3rd place in Group A, behind South Africa and Congo but ahead  of Sudan, Punch recalls.
Interestingly, the Eagles’ players had previously expressed their confidence in their victory, with CSKA Moscow Striker Ahmed Musa saying: “We already know ourselves and we know that we will win on Saturday.”



However, the opposite occurred. Commenting on the outcome and on the strategy of the game, Stephen Keshi stated:
“I’m very disappointed. It was not just the result but the way we played in the first half. I was like a soothsayer because I saw it coming and I talked to the boys that they had to be aggressive and first to the ball. I’ve played against the Congolese team before and I know they play tip-tap football. We scored the first goal and that was it. It’s a shame that we had opportunities, mostly in the second half, but we could not score.”

According to the Eagles’ Big Boss, he tried to explain to the team that they should change the tactics to win, but in no avail:
“I told them (players) they were not playing their game. They were not themselves, they were not playing, they were second to the ball and they needed to change the mentality. They came back in the second half and you could see the difference. But if you are playing a team like this, they are going to come hard and park the bus. And that’s what they did in the second half. Who won’t do it?”

Keshi however stated that in football the results are sometimes unpredictable and recalled the 2014 World Cup, when Brazil lost 7-1 to Germany. He also urged the Nigerian fans and media to support the team during this complicated period, because their backing will help the Super Eagles to win in the next match:

“Everybody is going to lose someday. We cannot win all the games all the time. This is where we need the media and Nigerians. They have to be behind the team, so that we can go to South Africa and win.”
Keshi’s men will travel to South Africa to face Bafana Bafana team in the second qualifying game of the African tournament.