THE Super Eagles moved a step closer to Qatar 2022 yesterday with a 2-1 victory over the Blue Sharks of Cape Verde in their own backyard.
A Victor Osimhen equalizer and an own goal from Kenny Rocha secured the hard-fought win for the Eagles who maintain a 100 per cent start to the series.
While the Gernot Rohr-led team have continued to receive plaudits for this impressive showing, there was an underlying motivation for the lads.
Before the encounter, Air Peace chairman, Allen Onyema, had charged the team to go all out for maximum points with a N20 million carrot.
But besides the cash reward, Onyeama urged the three-time African champions to see themselves as ambassadors and treat the game with utmost seriousness.
He said the tilt should be a stepping stone in unifying the nation which has been plagued by killings and kidnappings.
“If you win this match, I am going to give the team N20 million on arrival. I’ll bring the cash and hand it over,” Onyeama said in a short video posted on the official Facebook page of Super Eagles on Monday.
“This will serve as a stepping stone in unifying our nation. Go there and die for the country.
“You won your first match resoundingly, and we expect that the one happening in Cape Verde in 24 hours’ time will not be different.
“You’re carrying on your young shoulders the aspirations and the hopes of a nation. You must help us in restoring hope to this country.
“Nigeria is a great country with so much potential to achieve. We are yet to get
there. We may have our differences but we love ourselves.
“We knew some of our players have to leave after the match and they had to do well before leaving because they cannot go to Cape Verde.”
The Super Eagles where without the United Kingdom-based players including Kelechi Iheanacho who scored both goals against Liberia, arrived in Cape Verde on Monday morning with 21 players.
Yet showed resilience on the road.
See the video below:
