Nigeria’s gaffer, Gernot Rohr, after losing the World Cup opener by 2-0 loss to Croatia remains optimistic that his players will recover and at least, get four points from the next two games and scale the group stage hurdle. He told the fans of the team not to lose hope.
“We have noted our short comings and we will improve”, he said after the Super Eagles conceded two goals in an opening match for the first time since France ’98.
“Naturally, we are disappointed like anyone will feel when you get defeated.”
The coach admitted that the major short coming of his team was in getting on well with set pieces. The two goals conceded came off from corner kicks.
The first was in the 32nd minute when Oghenekaro Etebo deflected home the ball to score what is the 42nd own goal in World Cup history. Sadly, the one preceding it was also by a Nigerian, Joseph Yobo, in the Brazil 2014 encounter against France.
The second goal was also from a corner kick and William Ekong-Troost pinned down Mario Mandzukic in the 70thminute resulting into an award of penalty kick converted by the Man of the Match, Luka Modric.
The loud-mouthed Franco-German who insulted the nation’s sports journalist as corrupt and lacking expertise said that the team is now condemned to win the next game against gusty Iceland that held the group favourites, Argentina, to 1-1 draw earlier in the day.
With the results, the Super Eagles are comfortably placed at the bottom of the group log. To the incurable optimist which Rohr is, he said that only one point separates his team from the second placed Argentina and Iceland.
The next match of the Eagles is against Iceland while Argentina and Croatia will square it out in the second pairing.(Gongnews)
