Former Super Eagles defender, Ifeanyi Udeze has tasked the Nigeria U-23 national team to have a sense of purpose and play as a team when it face Guinea in the reverse leg of the CAF U-23 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco today.
The Olympic Eagles were held to a drab goalless draw in the first leg of their CAF U-23 Africa Cup of Nations last round of qualifiers at the Moshood Abiola Stadium, Abuja last week Wednesday.
Given the magnitude of the away clash and Nigeria’s history in the football event of the Olympics, Udeze while analyzing the upcoming game on Brila FM, Lagos, admonished the players coached by Salisu Yusuf to ‘speak and play’ as a team.
“I have heard some of the U-23 players individually saying: ‘I will do my best in the return leg’,” Udeze said.
“That shouldn’t be the soundbite coming from the players. Football is a team sport. Rather, it should be about the team.
“They ought to be saying that having let the country down in the first leg at home, we shall do our best and ensure that we qualify for the competition in Morocco.
“We have made history at the Olympics. We won it as a country. With due respect to the Guineans, we shouldn’t be struggling to win such games.
“Before their match in Abuja, some of them were saying that they hoped that the Super Eagles would also win like them. Win yours first. Well, things didn’t turn out as they thought. But I just wish them the very best,” Udeze concluded.
The U-23 Eagles will hope to join seven other African teams in Morocco where the top three teams will qualify for the football tournament of the 2024 Olympics in Paris, France.
Nigeria won the 1996 Football Olympics gold and finished second in 2008 when they were defeated in the final by a Lionel Messi- led Argentina.