Eagles Must Beat Ethiopia, Keshi Declares

Nigeria coach, Stephen Keshi has called on his Super Eagles to go all out and beat Ethiopia in their AFCON last group game, which kicks off at 6pm in Rustenburg, South Africa this evening.

Nigeria are on two points after two drawn games and need to win today’s match in Rustenburg to go through to the knockout rounds of the 2013 African Cup of Nations.

The former Togo coach said there will be no excuses if they fail to win the grudge match against the Walya Antelopes of Ethiopia, as they have to be at their best and make good use of their scoring chances. Keshi reminded the Eagles that failure to advance to the quarter final stage could spell doom for him as coach and rest of the team.

He stated further that the team may have suffered bad officiating in the tourney, but urged them to learn to finish games well and with wide margins before such calls are made.

“We should win our matches before bad calls are made so that those who know next to nothing about football will not become our overnight technical advisers,” he said.

He reiterated his confidence in his 23-man squad to do Nigeria proud, adding that the Eagles have a rich tradition at the Nations Cup that must be sustained and improved upon.

Meanwhile, Godfrey Oboabona told MTNFootball.com that the Eagles will play the game of their lives against Ethiopia, and will shed their blood if need be.

The Sunshine Stars of Akure skipper, Oboabona insisted that they have to go for broke to get their campaign back on track after two draws.

“Anything short of victory will be a disaster for us and the country, but that will never happen. I am sure we will get it right against Ethiopia because it is a must-win match for us to advance to the next stage,” Oboabona said.

“We raised our game against Zambia and we will do better against Ethiopia, especially in defence.

“We will do our best and we will shed blood on the pitch if that is what is needed to win the match.”

Oboabona said he was delighted with his personal showing, but the team will always come first.

“I am happy with my performance so far, but I would have been a lot more excited if we had claimed the maximum points from the two previous games, but now is the time to get it,” he said.

“I understand the feelings everywhere both home and here in South Africa. The fans are not happy with our results, they have been disappointed, but I am very confident that we will put smile on their faces on Tuesday.”