Lagos — Super Eagles coach Berti Vogts, has brushed aside his team lone goal defeat to tournament favourite the Elephants of Cote d'Ivoire insisting that his lads still have what it takes to reach the knock out stage of the competition.
The highly rated Nigerian team fell to Salomon Kalou's solo effort in the 66th minute of play to extend the Elephants' domination over them in the last two editions of the tournament.
"Its painful loss but I think my team gave a good account of themselves. It was just unfortunate the back line lost concentration for a moment and that alone separated the two teams.
"I lost to a good side and perhaps the best in the continent at the moment the result was a respectable one and let me use this opportunity to congratulate the team and I hope when next we meet it will be a different ball game," the German coach commented.
Vogts, who believes that the Super Eagles still have a lot to play for, noted that the loss to Cote d'Ivoire is a wake up call for the entire team and that history of previous participation will assure Nigeria a good performance at the end of the day.
"I'm aware that this is not the first time Eagles will lose in the opening match and then recover to reach the crucial stage. Although no coach will wish loose a vital match with the hope of a recovery in the subsequent games but when things like this happen, you have to go back and re-strategise," he noted.
THISDAYSports recalled that the lone goal defeat of the Super Eagles yesterday is the fourth time Nigeria would lose the opening group match and on two previous occasions they bounced back to achieve greatness.
Aside the 3-6 loss to Egypt in the opening group match of 1963 edition in Ghana, the two other occasions at Algeria 1990 and 2004 edition in Tunisia had Nigeria came back from defeat to reach the knock out stage.
"We are on course to reach the next stage of the competition and since my players have realised the enormity of the work at hand, I'm optimistic that the team will sail to the next round," he insisted.
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That's a class comment from a coach, I won't knock it. The coach pointed to the thing that worries me about the eagles and that is defensive focus. This has been the problem with Eagles even before Vogts. I think it's a mental discipline issue that must be fixed.
I agree with the coach, the team still has a chance to advance but they must figure out how to score goals and secure their defense and the mid field.
Eagle watcher
i agree with the coach the it was a defensive error, but why featuring kanu during the first half, he would have featured odewinge or ik uche guys who can dribble weel because our strikers wern't strong enough to break the elephants defence and seondly our midfield is not tight, i no longer understand mikels's midfield. pls try and resolve the problem bye from
Eagles fans.
Vogt should shut his big mouth and show results. He refused to play some matches of prepration with any African team. The reasons he and Lulu advanced is that African teams are of poor quality and to get used to the weather conditions in Ghana the eagles had to train in Europe! The Ivorian Goal was a result of an error? Let me laugh. Who does not know that errors are part of football? It is not computers that are playing. The eagles and their officials arrogance has prevented them to go in germany for the world cup. If they keep playing football with their mouthes the same scenario will repeat over and over again.