Odegbami Says Nigeria’s FIFA World Cup Qualification A Foregone Conclusion

Lagos - Segun Odegbami, a former Green Eagles Captain, on Monday said the Super Eagles’ conquest of the Walya Antelopes of Ethiopia was a “foregone conclusion’’.

Odegbami in Lagos said that the Ethiopians would succumb to the Super Eagles in Calabar on Nov. 16 “come what may’’. “The Super Eagles will ultimately seal their qualification for the Brazil 2014 FIFA World Cup on Nov.16,’’ he said.
Eagles had won 2-1 in Addis Ababa on Oct. 13 in the first leg match of their 2014 FIFA World Cup Final Qualification Round Playoff. The Eagles only needed to consolidate on that victory in the return leg game against their east African opponents to make qualification for Brazil a certainty.
“To me, it is a done deal. We are going for the World Cup, and already they (the Ethiopians) will be under pressure. Truthfully, very few teams deal with pressure well.
“We (Nigeria) are not under pressure but at the same time we should take our chances, and tie the loose ends,’’ Odegbami, who was a member of the victorious Eagles who won the 1980 edition of the AFCON in Lagos, said. On his assessment of the team’s performance in Addis Ababa, the former Green Eagles captain said the players performed well considering the inclement weather and bad pitch.
“It was a very difficult match, bad pitch, dry weather, high altitude and a very physical Ethiopian team. All the players in the match deserve to be in the team. “They must have gone through sweat, tears and blood. The boys and the coaching crew should be commended for this,’’ he said.
Vanguard