SUPER EAGLES ACHIEVED KEY GOALS IN LONDON AND MOSCOW OUTINGS – GUSAU

By: Gyang Dakwo

President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau, has expressed satisfaction with the Super Eagles’ performance in recent international fixtures, describing the outing as a major success.

In a statement from the NFF, Gusau said the Federation achieved its main goal for taking the national team to the Four-Nation Unity Cup in London and the international friendly against Russia in Moscow, all within a 12-day period.

“Our primary objective was to give the coaches a chance to assess new players who could strengthen the team. I can say clearly that we achieved that aim,” Gusau stated.

He revealed that Coach Eric Chelle and his assistants were pleased with the level of competition and the opportunity to experiment with different players and tactics.

The Super Eagles defeated Ghana 2-1 in the semi-final of the Unity Cup at Brentford’s Gtech Community Stadium on May 28, and edged Jamaica 5-4 on penalties after a 2-2 draw in the final. They then held Russia to a 1-1 draw at Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium, with Tolu Arokodare scoring the equaliser after an own goal by Semi Ajayi.

Gusau praised the contributions of both the regular players and the new faces.

“Players like Benjamin Frederick, Felix Agu, Chrisantus Uche, and Igoh Ogbu got the chance to prove themselves. We also had another look at Cyriel Dessers. The home-based players, such as Papa Daniel Mustapha, Ifeanyi Onyebuchi, and Collins Ogwueze, did not do badly either,” he said.

He also commended goalkeeper Maduka Okoye for an impressive return to the team and praised captain William Troost-Ekong for his leadership in defence.

“In Russia, Uche continued to impress and Arokodare scored a real striker’s goal. We now have more options across defence, midfield, and attack. I believe the technical team is very happy with what they saw,” Gusau concluded.

With the FIFA World Cup qualifiers ahead, the NFF president expressed confidence in the depth and quality of the Super Eagles squad going forward.