The Nation Newspaper

Tag: concentration

  • Eguma: Loss of concentration unsettled us

    Eguma: Loss of concentration unsettled us

    Dolphins head coach, Stanley Eguma has blamed momentary loss of concentration to the side’s defeat at Warri Wolves.

    The Port Harcourt-based side were beaten 0-1 by the Seasiders in the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) match day 23 clash at the Warri City Stadium.

    Eguma said the result would have been different if his frontman, Ifeanyi Egwim had converted his  chance.

    “Little loss of concentration caused us the defeat at Warri Wolves aside the penalty we were not given. Egwim got a clear chance to make it count but he did not convert it, Warri Wolves got theirs and they made it count.

    “We have lost the clash, I have nothing to complain further as the players acquitted themselves creditably well. I praise the players for their fighting spirit in this encounter I hope they will be able to reproduce similar performance in our subsequent matches.

    “This type of performance gives me hope that we will overcome the scare of relegation, I’m quite optimistic we will avoid the drop at the end of the season,” said Eguma to supersport.com.

    The defeat at Warri Wolves leaves the Port Harcourt outfit on 21 points from possible 69 in the 23-week old Nigerian top flight.

  • Sokoto Utd 1-0 Kogi Utd: Loss of concentration costs us the game, Biffo admits

    Head Coach of Nigeria National  League, NNL side, Kogi United,  Abdullahi Biffo said a momentary loss of concentration caused his side to pick at least a point in their 0-1 away game to Sokoto United in the Week 19 encounter of league.

    Substitute Aminu Bala headed in the lone goal for Sokoto United in the 75th minutes after Kogi united captain Afolabi Abiodun was hacked down in the box.

    The Wada Boys had numerous scoring chances but could not make it count despite a near perfect officiating from the match officials.

    Biffo, who blamed ill luck for his boys’ missed chances noted that hope is not lost for Kogi United to end the season well.

    “It was a very unfortunate game for us, we had all the chances to score at least three goals today, they (Sokoto utd) had their own chances, but could have been better if it ended in a draw, the goal we conceded was as a result of loss of concentration.

    “Yes, it has affected our ambition to end the season well, but we will go back and make amends where we made mistake, we have an opportunity to go back to winning ways quickly with our double home games, and I’m sure we will give it all,” said Biffo.

    Sokoto United defender, Abdulateef Adeshina who denied Kogi United a goal bound chance admitted that his side were lucky to win the game as he expected the Wada Boys to give them a fight at home.

  • My players lost concentration, says Abimbola

    My players lost concentration, says Abimbola

    Prime Football Club gaffer, Abimbola Samuel, has blamed the momentary loss of concentration for his side’s 2-0 loss to Shooting Stars Sports Club of Ibadan, in the Two Brothers Derby.

    Prime held 3SC for almost an hour before the Oluyole Warriors scored two goals to triumph over the Omoluabi Giants in a dramatic match.

    The former Sunshine Stars International Football Club of Akure, merchant tactician while speaking after the game noted: “We played well as our plan was going according to plan until the defenders lost concentration, which allowed 3SC to seize the opportunity and score two goals.”

    He promised to make correction in the team before their next home game against Mountain of Fire Miracle Ministry Football Club of Lagos, and vowed his team will secure the maximum points at stake.

    However, Shooting Stars coach, Franklin Howard, described his side’s victory as a hard fought one and expressed optimism that his team will build upon the victory.

    “The game made the day for everybody and lived-up to expectation going by the rivalry between both clubs and the two teams lifted the game and spectators really enjoyed the game. The game I think is a memory to remember and thank God we came out victorious,” the former Unicem Rovers gaffer said.

    He said his team will prepare well ahead of this weekend’s tie away to Abia Comets in Umuahia.

  • MAXIMUM CONCENTRATION: Agbim banned from Facebook

    MAXIMUM CONCENTRATION: Agbim banned from Facebook

    • Keshi stops goalkeeper from receiving calls

    The Super Eagles’ technical crew has banned goalkeeper Chigozie Agbim from going online to update his Facebook page or receive calls for the duration of the Championship of African Nations (CHAN), where Nigeria is expected to beat Morocco today at 4pm.

    Super Eagles Team Psychologist, Robinson Okosun, on Thursday said Agbim was restrained from taking many calls and visiting the social media to avoid distractions capable of lowering his morale.

    “By and large, I think he is coping so well. Also, like I said, I still maintain my restriction on him from visiting Facebook. And, of course, to also reduce the level of calls he takes. The calls I expect him to take are the ones from his parents and his friends, and not the ones that will discourage him.

    “But, by and large, I think he is coping fine, he is responding very well to the psychological tuning given to him. For the general team, after the South Africa game, I had a session with them, to appraise, tell individual players what I discovered in the match.

    “But having said that, I am going to have the last and final session with the team on Friday (yesterday) and they are ready to go.’’

    He also said other members of the Super Eagles were also responding to confidence-building. Okosun said the players were told that the task ahead would not be easy.

  • Eguavoen: Lack of concentration was Super Eagles’ undoing

    Eguavoen: Lack of concentration was Super Eagles’ undoing

    Austin Eguavoen, a former Super Eagles Head Coach, said on Thursday that the team’s concentration level at the ongoing Confederations Cup in Brazil was their major undoing.

    Eguavoen told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that the team could have stayed longer at the tournament, if they had sustained their level of intensity in all their matches.

    The former ACB FC of Lagos and Gent FC of Belgium defender emphasised the need for the Stephen Keshi-led technical crew to work more on the team’s attack line.

    “In my assessment of our performance from the opening match with Tahiti, we were brilliant. We could have scored more, but we couldn’t. And mind you, we missed some players that would have been part of the struggle.

    “In our match against Uruguay, even when we fought so hard, our major undoing was lack of concentration, but in all, I give it to them that they did well,” he said.

    Eguavoen, who was a member of the Super Eagles squad that won the 1994 edition of the AFCON in Tunisia, stressed that the Eagles must step up their game against the big teams. He noted that the team initially kept pace with World Champions Spain in their last group match, but eventually lost out because they could not convert gilt-edged chances into goals.

    “It could have been Spain 5 Nigeria 3, but that didn’t happen, because we did not take advantage of the chances; that’s the difference. In spite of the lack of bite in our attack, we still gave Spain a run for their money, even when we lost 3-0,” he added.

    On the chances of the team qualifying for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, the former Super Eagles coach was of the firm belief that the team would qualify for the soccer fiesta.

    “I have no doubts in my mind; we can go to sleep. Nigeria has qualified for the World Cup. We just have to work hard with a lot of top friendlies against European, Asian, South American and African sides,” Eguavoen added.

  • Draw against Liberia Igiebor blames lack of concentration

    Real Bertis new signing Nosa Igbiebor has blamed lack of concentration on the part of the Super Eagles’ players as the major reason behind the late minute equalizer they conceeded against the Lone Star of Liberia in the last weekend Africa Nations Cup qualifier in Monrovia.

    According to the former FC Abuja playmaker, “we played well, especially rising to the occasion after conceeding that early minute goal which was just due to lost of concentration. When the equalizer came, and we went ahead few minutes later, I thought we would score more than four goals. But complacency stepped in, and the Liberians took over the game, and scored that heart breaking equalizer.

    “It is painful we did not win, but it was a good result. All we need at home is to put our acts together and get the needed qualification to South Africa.” He pleaded to the Coaches to now start concentrating on the players they need to rebuild the team.