The Nation Newspaper

Tag: bronze

  • Disappointed Eagles happy with bronze

    Disappointed Eagles happy with bronze

    Nigeria have said they will cherish their third-place finish at the 2014 CHAN after they crashed out to rivals Ghana in the semis.

    Nigeria edged past Zimbabwe 1-0 in Saturday in Cape Town to finish third at the tournament.

    A cross section of the players told MTNFootball.com they were disappointed not to win the 2014 CHAN, but were consoled with finishing third.

    Ugonna Uzochukwu told MTNFootball.com: “This was my first competition as a national team player and I feel so happy winning the bronze medal. I am disappointed we couldn’t win the competition because that was my target, but God knows best.”

    Left back Francis Benjamin said he was happy he did not leave South Africa empty-handed.

    “It is a thing of joy for us to win the bronze, we give God all the glory. We aimed higher when we arrived here but we thank God for what he has done for us,” he reasoned.

    Warri Wolves forward Joshua Obaje said he was happy they have something to show for their efforts at the end of the day.

    “We just have to thank God for his mercy. It was great to end the tournament with a medal,” Obaje told MTNFootball.com.

  • UZOENYI VOWS: We will fight for bronze

    UZOENYI VOWS: We will fight for bronze

    Ejike Uzoenyi has vowed that disappointed Nigeria will still fight to win the third-place at CHAN against Zimbabwe today.

    Uzoenyi, who said he was disappointed the Eagles lost to rivals Ghana on penalties in Wednesday’s semi-final, has promised that the team will fight to win the bronze to make up for not reaching the final.

    “It’s the only thing we have to leave here with and we are determined to compensate Nigerians with a third-place finish,” the Enugu Rangers winger said.

    Uzoenyi almost passed out when Ghanaian defender Kwabina Adusei, elbowed him around his neck leading to a minor concoction mid-way into the first half of the CHAN semi-final in Bloemfontein, South Africa.

    The medical staff described Uzoenyi’s condition at the time as Cortica Artery seizure, noting that it took quite a while to get his pulse back from the leg region.

    “It was scary but we thank God, it didn’t degenerate more than that and the player’s recovery rate was phenomenal”, one of the medical official attached to the team noted.

    Uzoenyi said: “That player wanted to kill me with that vicious elbow and I was blank and did not know where I was until I started hearing noises, but I was determined to continue that was why I was rushing back to the pitch. But I think it was God that saved my life because some lesser cases have resulted in fatalities.”

  • AYC: We will make do with bronze – Obuh

    AYC: We will make do with bronze – Obuh

    NIGERIA coach John Obuh has said the Flying Eagles would make do with the bronze medal even though they had expected to successfully defend the championship they won two years ago in South Africa.

    “This wasn’t what we expected. But we had to do everything to take something back home.

    “This is our gold after we failed to reach the final,” Obuh said after the Nigerian side got the better of their Malian counterparts with a 2-1 victory.

    “Mali improved from the first game and so we had a better match today. We lost against them the first time and we did not want to lose to them a second time.

    The game seemed to be heading for penalty kicks before a furious last 19 minutes saw both teams score, and the game could have easily seen more goals and gone into extra time.

  • YOBO SCREAMS Eagles tired of bronze

    YOBO SCREAMS Eagles tired of bronze

    • Says players ready to improve on status
    • Rues trophy-less past with teams

    Super Eagles captain Joseph Yobo has revealed that his mates have resolved to play in the finals of the 2013 African Cup of Nations in order to improve on the team’s previous third-place finish in the competition.

    Disclosing this in an exclusive interview he had with Channels Teelvision Sports on Tuesday, Yobo rued the fact that he had in his wardrobe four bronze medals from the competition where he will be making his sixth appearance for the Super Eagles.

    “I can tell you that my colleagues and I have resolved to improve on our bronze medals feats. I have four and like most of us with more than two appearances, we have told others that we will give our matches our best performance, if we must prove our mettle in the competition.”

    Asked how he felt with the presence of many players who wil be making their debut in the African Cup of Nations, Yobo said: “the coaches have picked the best players. What I have seen in training convinces me that they can hold their own against any oppososition. We will guide them through the matches. Football is about team work and not individual performances.

    Asked if the South Africa 2013 African Cup of Nations will be his last, Yobo would rather look at how well he plays in the competition than considering this edition as his last. He however promised to give his best during Nigeria’s matchees stressing that what the team needs from Nigerians is suppport and their prayers.