A cross-section of football enthusiasts in Enugu says they were disappointed with the Super Eagles for drawing 4-4 with Sierra Leone on Friday in a 2021 AFCON qualifier in Benin City.
The football enthusiasts who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) described the outcome of the match as “an unfortunate loss”.
Boniface Onovo, a director in the Enugu State Ministry of Youths and Sports, said the result of the match did not speak well of the country’s level of football.
”The outcome is not a good result, since Nigeria cannot beat a team like Sierra Leone.
”This result showed that the country’s football is in retrogression and something needed to be done.
”It is a big shame to Nigeria, considering the calibre of players the coach featured in the match,” he said.
The Public Relations Officer in the Enugu State Ministry of Youths and Sports, Dan Onwuegbuna, also said the match’s result was a disappointing one.
”What a nonsense! It is embarrassing. How can you score four goals against a a team and you allow them to equalise?
”With this kind of result, we are not likely to come away from Sierra Leone with a respectable result on Tuesday.
”But I believe the changes made at the beginning of the second half of the match by the coach affected the outcome,” he said.
Onwuegbuna however urged the team’s coaches to give opportunities for home-based players to perform in view of the fact that the overseas-based players have started to disappoint.
Lofty Uche, the coach of amateur clubside Golden Stars FC of Obiagu, on his part said the Super Eagles coaches still have a lot of work to do ahead of Tuesday’s game.
”Though the coaches committed a blunder, and that is part of football, but such is pardonable in football.
”However, with the experience they now have, I believe the Eagles will get a win in the second leg.
”The players have now known the strength of their opponents. So, they will up their game in the return leg,” Uche said.
NAN reports that in spite of the result, Nigeria still lead Group L of the Qualifiers with seven points.
They are followed by Benin Republic with three points and Sierra Leone with two points and Lesotho with a point.
The Super Eagles will continue in the Qualifiers on Tuesday when they visit Sierra Leone in Freetown in a Match Day 4 fixture.(NAN)
