Federation Cup: Dutch Coach Proud Of Heartland

Head Coach of Heartland Football Club of Owerri, Lodewijk De Kruif, has expressed confidence in his side as the Owerri-based team defeated Enyimba Football Club of Aba 1-0 to win the 66th Federation Cup decided yesterday at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere, Lagos.

The Dutch coach, speaking after the keenly contested cracker, said his players demonstrated how strong they were despite being considered underdogs before the historic match.

“I am very proud of my boys because they have done very well earning a great victory. We won the match despite the fact that people regarded us as the underdogs before the match. I am happy and satisfied with the performance of my players,” said De Kruif.

The coach said further that the day’s victory did not come on a platter of gold because their opponents fought back when they were one goal down.

“It was a very difficult match because our opponents came out when we were a goal ahead. But everybody can see that we were two times better than Enyimba in that match. I think we won the match because we played better than the Aba boys,” he said.

Heartland had not won any trophy in 23 years.

—Bimbo Ajayi