The Eagles at about 7.30 a.m. on Friday were at the UJ Esuene stadium in Calabar where they held close to two hours of tactical and physical exercises in readiness for Saturday’s crunch clash against the East Africans.
After initial light warm-up exercises, the 24 players in training were split into two sides (probables and possibles) and they engaged themselves across the length and breadth of Saturday’s ‘battle field’ with Vincent Enyeama and Austin Ejide standing in goal at each end.
Though the entire team looked sharp and were oozing with confidence in front of the sizeable crowd present at Friday’s training, some players like Obinna Nsofor, Bright Dike, Kenneth Omeruo and Newcastles’ Shola Ameobi dazzled as they attempt to break into the starting eleven for the make or mar clash against the Ethiopians.
Speaking with PREMIUM TIMES after the hectic session, the captain of the team, Vincent Enyeama, stated that the only one goal before him and his teammates is to qualify for the Brazil 2014 World Cup.
“We have done everything we need to do in training; we have been drilled and gone through some hard work. So we have done what we have to do, the rest is left to God to do,” the Lille of France shot stopper stated.
With Nigeria holding the advantage having secured a 2-1 win in the first leg away from home, Enyeama stated that getting three points (victory) is not the team’s target but making it to Brazil 2014.
“Really it’s not three points that matters but for we to qualify and by the grace of God we are going to make Nigerians proud tomorrow, we are proud of this colour (green and white) and we are ready to do our best to defend it,” he said.
Asked what qualifying for the World cup means to him, Enyeama, despite making it to the Korea/Japan 2002 and South Africa 2010 World Cups, said it means the world to him.
“It means the world to us, so that is why we are ready to do our very best to make it there,” the Eagles stand-in skipper concluded.
source"premiumtimes"
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