The president of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Amaju Melvin Pinnick has downplayed the outcome of Thursday’s World Cup qualifier at Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos, as he affirmed that the Super Eagles will deliver victory to their teeming fans during the reverse fixture on Sunday.
The second leg is billed to hold on neutral ground in Douala, Cameroon, as Confederation of African Football (CAF) have not approved any venue in Central African Republic (CAR) to host international matches, and Pinnick believes that will be an advantage for the Eagles.
Megasportsarena.com reports that Pinnick further disclosed that all the players are in sober mood, following their shock loss at home against one of the minnows of African football, while many of the lads that missed the game due to injury were also shocked to hear about the result.
The nation’s number football administrator, however, enthused that the fire of disappointment will recharge the Eagles to put in more effort in training towards the second leg and then eventually go full throttle on the field of play to snatch a glorious result on Sunday.
The FIFA committee member added that the Eagles are already planning how to return to winning ways in Sunday’s matchday four fixture of the Qatar 2022 World Cup qualifiers, even as he revealed that revealed that Wilfred Onyinyen Ndidi, Alex Iwobi and Oghenekaro Etebo were shocked to hear about the team’s 1-0 loss on Thursday.
Pinnick stated: “I am in touch with even the players that are injured like Wilfred Ndidi, Oghenekaro Etebo and Alex Iwobi. They are all very sad with the result.
“The players who featured are all very sober and sad. They know what is important now is their reaction to the situation when they take to the pitch in Douala on Sunday.
“We believe they will deliver against the same team. At the halfway mark of this phase, our Super Eagles still top the group.”
