Nigeria goalkeeper Austin Ejide says the Super Eagles are ready for their 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against South Africa in Cape Town on Wednesday,africanfootball.com reports.
The African champions suffered a surprise 3-2 home defeat at the hands of Congo in their opening Group A match in Calabar on Saturday, making the Cape Town Stadium cash against Bafana Bafana (who beat Sudan 3-0 away) a crucial fixture.
Ejide Said, “We are prepared because this game is an important game for us. We were so unfortunate that we lost our home game, but now is an opportunity for us to make it right.
“We are prepared mentally, physically… we are here and I see a lot of confidence among the players, so it’s all out to win and (try pick up) the maximum three points.”
While off-field problems with Nigerian football authorities have made headlines in recent days, Ejide says that is not an issue for the players to worry about and cannot be used as an excuse if they underperform.
The Israel-based keeper added, “We are stronger mentally. Being an African man, this is our nature, this is how we live (…) in Africa we are not stable in a lot of things, especially in leadership. We know how to adapt in this situation.
“The most important thing is that we are playing XI v XI on the pitch and it is important for us to play very well and leave the rest for the officials to handle.
“I believe above all things that it will not be a stumbling block for us, an excuse, because of the federation, that things are not going well and we’ll put blame on them. We don’t want to give them that opportunity.”
No comments:
Post a Comment