Nigeria/Tunisia World Cup Qualifier: No Retreat, No Surrender - As Eagles Go For Victory - Kick-Off Time 7.10pm
By Ganiyu Salman - 20.06.2009
The Super Eagles line upTHERE is a big task before the Super Eagles to surmount today and that is, for the team to beat the Carthage Eagles of Tunisia and give Nigerians a bright hope of seeing the country's flag being hoisted in the 2010 World Cup.
The game has become a must-win for the Nigerian team which remains unbeaten so far in the race to the mundial billed for South Africa and this, coach Shaibu Amodu acknowledges.
"We can't be average, we have to rise above that and put in extra effort. We want to qualify for the World Cup, but we have to take it one step at a time. We have a big goal," the former coach of Orlando Pirates told FIFA .com.
Nigeria had only escaped defeat once on Tunisian soil but eventually lost 0-1 in Lagos, courtesy of Godwin Odiye's own goal to miss the ticket to Argentina '78, while two World Cup qualifiers to Espana '82 and Mexico '86 ended in defeats for Eagles
Perhaps, many Nigerians would fervently pray for a miracle to happen today to re-live the memory of Tunisia '94 celebration, but Tunisian Houcine Ragued has sent a warning signal to Amodu, who "We are aware of the fact that winning this game would lead us into a very good position in qualifying for the World Cup, especially as winning against a team like Nigeria could shock a bit, all our opponents," said the Tunisian midfielder.
|
