Saturday the players are optimistic that the journey to Brazil will be completed with a quality run by the team. The players who spoke after the match in Calabar said the draw on Saturday was not enough to create panic amongst Nigerians.
Stand-in captain Vincent Enyeama said he was very hopeful on the outlook of the road to Brazil.
“It’s not over yet. We will be in Brazil by the grace of God. One draw is not enough for people to get worried. We all need to be positive about this and look forward to the next game.
“This one has ended like this but we are going over there too and anything can happen. What we are pleading is support from all Nigerians. And I’m particularly appealing to the media. We all celebrated the trophy recently and so we should all join hands in the run to Brazil,” he said.
And in reviewing the match he added.
“I am happy we drew this match. Had we lost, it would have been a disaster but we have something good to hold on to.”
Nigeria’s goal scorer Nnamdi Oduamadi hailed the resilience of the Kenyans and also believes the Eagles would improve with the coming games.
He said, “They played good football, they are not a bad side. They made it very difficult for us, but we are relieved that we didn’t lose this game and that is important.”
Kenya took the lead and then Nigeria, crowned African Nations Cup champions just last month, needed a dramatic late equaliser to rescue home draw through substitute Oduamadi, who plays for Italian second-tier club Varese. The match was Nigeria’s first since their success at the Nations Cup.
Ogenyi Onazi who was part of the winning team at South Africa 2013 said the goal scored by the Eagles would surely be a catalyst for the future.
He said, “It is not that we played badly except they came to fight defensively. But the way we fought back after the goal was very important as it proved the fighting spirit in us. I am very optimistic about getting a ticket to Brazil.”
