Salisu Yusuf hails character of his Nigerian troops

Salisu Yusuf

Thursday Jan 25, 2018. 10:30

Nigerian 2018 CAF African Nations Championship coach Salisu Yusuf has praised the character of his players after their win over Equatorial Guinea in an African Nations Championship match on Tuesday night.

The Super Eagles bounced back to claim a 3-1 win over the Nzalang Nacional in their final Group C match as they secured a spot in the Last Eight.

Goals from Anthony Okpotu, Dayo Ojo and a penalty from substitute Rabiu Ali cancelled out an early opener from Equatorial Ginuea’s Nsi Eyama.

“We wanted to finish first and we are happy we did,” Yusuf said.

“The team showed great character. We found ourselves in almost the same scenario during the last edition of the tournament in Rwanda where we had four points going into the final game and we lost and we were out.

“I had to make reference to that game to spur my team on. Anything could have happened. My team gave them so much room to operate during the game.

“It’s a lesson for us and we remain focused on the next game.

“We were unlucky to have conceded, but I was glad at the way we responded. Our answer was positive, almost always positive. For sure, the second half was good, but we still need to polish our passes more to be accurate.

“These players show me every day great commitment, great will, desire to fight.”