"I Knew Eagles Would Lose" — Keshi Talks Frustrations & Tactics

Super Eagles coach, Stephen Keshi, has said he saw his team’s 3-2 defeat to Congo in their 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier at the U.J. Esuene Stadium, coming. The African champions are now third in Group A of the qualifiers behind leaders South Africa and Congo while Sudan are last
on the log, after posting a poor performance in their first game after the World Cup.

“I’m very disappointed. It was not just the result but the way we played in the first half. I was like a soothsayer because I saw it coming and I talked to the boys that they had to be aggressive and first to the ball.
“I’ve played against the Congolese team before and I know they play tip-tap football. We scored the first goal and that was it. It’s a shame that we had opportunities, mostly in the second half, but we could not score,” Keshi said immediately after the game.

Keshi said he charged the players in the dressing room in a bid to restore pride but admitted that his team was frustrated by the defensive and delay tactics of their opponents. 

“I told them (players) they were not playing their game. They were not themselves, they were not playing, they were second to the ball and they needed to change the mentality. They came back in the second half and you could see the difference. But if you are playing a team like this, they are going to come hard and park the bus. And that’s what they did in the second half. Who won’t do it?

“I can understand the frustration, the Congolese team delaying the game, killing the game. It became an anger problem and its part of the game.

“It’s football. Brazil lost 7-1 and we lost today (Saturday). Everybody is going to lose someday. We cannot win all the games all the time. This is where we need the media and Nigerians. They have to be behind the team, so that we can go to South Africa and win”