‘Hope Not Lost On Eagles’

Former Nigeria World Cup star Tijjani Babangida has maintained that despite dropping two points against Iran in a must-win Group F match, the Super Eagles still have a chance to advance beyond the first round.

The ex-Ajax winger told AfricanFootball.com that the Eagles should not be written off as anything is still possible in football.

“Iran played a perfect, formidable defensive system with highest level of discipline and we were lucky their counter attack was not so strong and effective,” Babangida told AfricanFootball.com

“But we should not write off the Eagles just yet, as far as I am concerned and know of football, it not yet over for us because Bosnia and Argentina won’t play defensive against us, they will come to play and that is when the true Eagles will be seen, we will be able to express ourselves,” reasoned Babangida.

“I am upbeat a different Eagles will come out against Bosnia and then Argentina.

“In football, anything is possible, but we are in a very difficult situation, but nothing is beyond us.”

Fellow ex-international Jonathan Akpoborie told AfricanFootball.com the Eagles could not beat Iran on Monday because they threw away the tactics after they got impatient.

He said the Eagles allowed Iranian to force them to lose their formation they were to play.

“Well, the game did not go well for us as a team, but I believe we lost formation too early in a game we ought to have controlled fully and we started playing long balls which was not our style,” he explained.

“We grew impatient by the minute and it destroyed our game. We had power, some skill, but lacked team work and organisational play. And without all these things, it was always difficult to win a football game.”