Nigeria coach Stephen Keshi believes that the Super Eagles have the potential to rule Africa again after seeing his side dispatch a hard fighting Chadian team 2-0 on Saturday in a Group G 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.
A Gbolahan Salami goal and an Odion Ighalo penalty gave the Super Eagles the maximum points and Keshi feels there is more to come from the team as they continue to gel together.
“It was a tough game but I’m glad we came away with the three points,”Keshi said after the game.
“The defence played well, they were disciplined in their marking, they did what we practised in the training sessions.
“The first half was a bit off because the players were still getting to know each other. They were cautious because this was our second game together after the friendly against Kaduna United
“There was a lot of anxiety, but we were a bit more relaxed in the second half. We had the possession and we controlled the game.
“The substitutions with Rabiu (Ibrahim) and Odion (Ighalo) made the team to start clicking and I hope we have more of that in the next couple of games.”he added
Keshi started three débutantes in the game and said it was all in a bid to make sure he gets the team to gel as he also reiterated his desire to create a formidable Super Eagles even as he had special mention for William Troost-Ekong who made his debut on Saturday.
“Troost-Ekong is a good player and I’ve been monitoring him for a while. He did well in the game,”the former Togo coach said.
“We are always looking for players who can help improve the team and add more quality to what we already have.”
When asked about how he felt about Ogenyi Onazi’s sending off, Keshi said he probably would have done the same thing if it happened to him.
“Onazi was upset because the player elbowed him and he vented his frustrations out,” Keshi revealed.
“I might do the same thing if it happened to me too. He had a rush of blood and acted that way.”
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