…says lesson from Russia 2018 will spur Eagles on
Super Eagles dare-devil winger, Alex Iwobi, is looking forward to the start of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers which recommences in September, following Nigeria’s poor show at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
Iwobi was sparingly used during the Mundial by head coach, Gernot Rohr, in Nigeria’s three Group D matches against Croatia, Iceland and Argentina.
Nigeria started the qualifiers on a losing note, beaten 2-0 by South Africa at home.
The Arsenal star who travelled to Singapore with the Gunners on Sunday for the International Champions Cup, where they will play against Atletico Madrid, PSG and Chelsea said, “The squad is young and we picked important lessons that will hopefully help us, going forward.
“Attention will soon shift to the Nations Cup and we must make our World Cup lessons count.
“We had a lot of hopes and believe that we could do well. We are very proud of ourselves and are going to take the positives of course.”
Iwobi opined that the Eagles were unlucky in the 1-2 loss to Argentina on June 26 at the World Cup.
“We are just unfortunate about the last-minute goal that came against Argentina led to a defeat that knocked us out of the group.
“We are taking positives but we are very happy with what we did.
“It’s not just me or my tournament, it’s Nigeria’s tournament,” the 22-year-old Iwobi stated.
“The coach didn’t put me in that position because he wanted to try something new, try something else, so I had no problems because at the end of the day, it is what the manager decides that goes,” Iwobi reiterated.
Meanwhile, Brighton & Hove summer sign-on, Leon Balogun, has reflected on his maiden appearance at the World Cup, and has spoken of his happiness at facing the best player in the world, Lionel Messi.
Four years ago, the central defender was in the running to be included in the Super Eagles World Cup roster but an injury he suffered on his debut against Mexico ended his dreams of playing in Brazil.
”The injury made the summer more special because a lot of people were wondering whether my career as an international player would come to an end,” Balogun said.
”The fact that not many people expected me to be there made me more happy and it made it more special.
”I was able to share the occasion with my parents and played against the best player in the world in my opinion (Lionel Messi) -the fans were fantastic, and the atmosphere was amazing, so it
provided me with many priceless memories.”
Balogun, who went the distance in World Cup matches against Croatia, Iceland and Argentina, has started training with his new teammates at Brighton
& Hove.
