Onochie Anibeze
14 October 2008
Coach Shuaibu Amodu introduced some Beijing Olympic team players in Saturday's 4-1 victory and said such changes would continue until he builds a solid team that he hopes would not only qualify for the 2010 World Cup but also do well in the finals.
Obinna Nsofor, Sanni Kaita, Chinedu Ogbuke, all played and Dele Adeleye sat on the bench. Adeleye was outstanding in the Beijing Olympics, saving many dangerous situations and ended without earning one yellow card. He has improved tremendously and only waiting for his time that should not be too long.
His timeliness and calculation in dispossessing opponents won him the hearts of his handlers. Interestingly, he was the player who committed one of the penalties that denied Nigeria the Under 20 World Cup in Holland three years ago. He kicked from behind. But he is now a new player.
It is not only those who went to the Olympics that Amodu is considering for now.
"It is an open thing. We are building a team and anybody who makes impact in his club can have a chance of further proving himself with the national team," Amodu said moments after the 4-1 victory against Sierra Leone.
It was their sixth victory in the Nations Cup and World Cup qualifying matches.
Eagles had a clean slate and conceded the only goal in Abuja on Saturday. Incidentally, the opponents could not score against them.
The only goal they conceded was an own goal by Joseph Yobo."I thought we would have ended it without conceding any goal," Amodu said, adding "It could be painful to concede the only goal that way. But its football. Again, it was on a day we won 4-1, our highest margin so far. May be it was a goal sacrificed for us to score more, so it's not bad. With more matches, and good program we should be able to have a solid team with time. We are still on course".
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