2010: Eagles still have qualification chances – Eguavoen

Former Eagles defender, Austin Eguavoen, who made this known in an interview with Trustsports said in football it is wrong to write off any team that is not completely out of the race for a championship. While agreeing that the Eagles are walking a tight rope in their bid to qualify for the Mundial and […]

Former Eagles defender, Austin Eguavoen, who made this known in an interview with Trustsports said in football it is wrong to write off any team that is not completely out of the race for a championship.

While agreeing that the Eagles are walking a tight rope in their bid to qualify for the Mundial and only miracles can secure the ticket for them,  the former  Eagles gaffer said it is wrong to write off a team that has two matches to play before the end of the qualifier.

“We still have the chance of qualifying for the World Cup, though it is no longer in our hands. That does not mean we should write off the team completely. Anything can still happen and before you know it the leadership of the group will change.

“But we should just take things one after the other; we need to beat Mozambique in Abuja on Sunday. After that we should start strategizing on how  to go and secure the three maximum points in Kenya which is going to be a bit difficult, but not impossible. What would happen in the matches involving the Carthage Eagles of Tunisia is not in our hands; we can only pray and keep our fingers crossed that they slip along the way,”  

Asked if the players, most of who played against Tunisia in Abuja, are capable of defeating the Mambas of Mozambique, Eguaveon said with right attitude and commitment, Eagles will put smile on the faces of their teeming fans today.

“The crops of players invited for the match are capable of doing the job very well. All they need to do is to show more commitment, character and approach the match with confidence and right attitude. Victory is assured on Sunday, but my fear, however, is the away match against the Kenyans. Can we win the match?” he asked rhetorically.  

The Coach of Enyimba FC warned the players against complacency in the today’s match, saying they should take a cue from what happened when they played against the Carthage Eagles in Abuja.

“Nigerians had thought that Eagles had secured the three maximum points against the North African team and thereby put their World Cup ambition on the right track, but it was a pipe dream.”

“I never thought that the Eagles would draw against the Tunisians in Abuja; I even predicted that our Eagles would defeat Tunisia, but we only managed to draw the match. Since then, I have stopped predicting results of matches,” he concluded.