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Tag: Enyeama

  • EAGLES VS SPAIN Enyeama, Mikel rated best

    EAGLES VS SPAIN Enyeama, Mikel rated best

    •Gambo bags worst rating

     •Others settle for average

    Despite Super Eagles defeat and subsequent crash out of the ongoing Confederations Cup in Brazil, performance of the duo of goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama and midfielder John Mikel Obi continues to be the talk of town and toast of analysts.

    Aside from submissions from a cross section of fans who spoke on the match that saw the Keshi lads go down 3-0, rating according to MTNfootball.com indicate that the duo scored 8 points out of 10 in the tie which saw strikers in the team wasting chances with recklessness.

    The Eagles safehand, who has literally colonised the goal since Keshi took over the mantle in the national team, was at his best posting a man-of-the match performance, making no fewer than five point blank saves.

    Mikel on his part showed a lot of courage and marshalled out the midfield with all seriousness. Aside from impressive dribbles from the Chelsea ace, he made water-tight passes with a shot on goal to garnish his overall performance for the night.

    The post of poorest player on the pitch with just two points out of ten, meanwhile, went to 71st minute substitute Gambo Muhammed who failed to convert begging chance created by Ahmed Musa and just awaiting delivery.

    While Elderson Chiejile and Ahmed Musa got 7 points for their efforts, six players Oboabona, Efe Ambrose, Brown Ideye, Fegor Ogude, Mba and Egwuekwe scored a point above average with the duo of Akpala and Ogu sealing the average 5-point score. Despite their performance adjudged impressive,virutally all the players got a bit of knocks for squandering chances that from all indications would have altered the result of the tie on one hand and shown that the Eagles indeed put up a good fight.

  • Eagles opt for foreign media

    Eagles opt for foreign media

    Most members of Nigeria’s Super Eagles squad opted to speak to the foreign media alone after the sides 2-1 loss to Uruguay at the Arena Fore Nova, Salvador at the ongoing FIFA Confederations Cup in Brazil.

    Leading the pack of the Nigerian journalists at the mixed-zone to interview the players were the likes of The Sun/Soccer Star editor, Kunle Solaja, The Nation/SportingLife’s Uchenna Ajah, This Day’s Olawale Ajimotokan among others but they were totally overlooked by the likes of John Obi Mikel, Ahmed Musa, Azubuike Egwuekwe, Michael Babtunde, and others as they were heading towards the exit but later stopped to have interview with the foreign media. Indeed the situation was not taken lightly by Solaja who took the matter to the team’s media officer, Ben Alaiya who pleaded on behalf of the players and later mandated the duo of Vincent Enyeama and Anthony Ujah to speak to the Nigerian press.

    Reacting on the incident, Solaja stressed that it was not a good one for the players to ignore their own.

    “It is a very bad example for our players to totally ignore the Nigerian journalist for the foreigners. They forgot that we too feel the pains of defeat too and it is because of our love for our fatherland that also made the Nigerian journalists to fly all the way from Nigeria to cover the championship,” he noted.

    Meanwhile, Alaiya assured the journalists present that he would personally take up the matter with the players during their meetings.

  • Enyeama, Ujah blame fatigue

    Enyeama, Ujah blame fatigue

    Stand-in Eagles skipper, Vincent Enyeama, has said the loss to Uruguay in the national team’s second game at the ongoing Confederations Cup, was so colossal that the team will have to do something special to defeat Spain in its next game.

    He also blamed fatigue for the team’s loss, the same way Tony Ujah, who plays his club football in the German Bundesliga reasoned. Enyeama reacting to a question about the splendid play of the Eagles yet could not come out clean said: “It’s so painful that we played this well and were still on the losing side. I would been a happier person if we played badly and won the game,” he said.

    Ujah on his part says that flying from one end of the world to another in the last one month has been very tiring, especially as other teams were having a ball preparing for the tournament. “Though we don’t want to give any excuses but it’s obvious that our busy schedule has affected us today,” he noted.

    The Super Eagles were expected to jet out to the next venue of the game against world and European champions, Spain on Friday morning.

    Meanwhile Sports marketing icon, Mike Itemuagbor, has already declared that he has absolute confidence in the abilities of the players to defeat Spain in its next game, as he believes the team he saw against Uruguay was in excellent form but was just unlucky.

    “They may be world champions but we are also champions in our own right and we will beat them well to make it to the next round of the championship, mark my words,” he declared.

  • Enyeama: We suffered from fatigue

    Enyeama: We suffered from fatigue

    NIGERIA captain Vincent Enyeama pointed to fatigue to explain the Super Eagles’ somewhat lethargic performance against Tahiti.

    A 6-1 win against the amateurs from Oceania looked jerky in patches as the Nigeria strikers wasted a host of opportunities, and Enyeama said jetlag took its toll “It was obvious that we were struggling,” Enyeama told KickOffNigeria.com.

    “There was fatigue in the brain and all parts of the body.

    “But we are happy we scrapped through and we are happy it’s Tahiti we had first, so we thank God for getting them first in the draw.

    “We don’t really care about the goals. What mattered was getting the three points.”

    The goalkeeper was even more disappointed to have conceded a goal to a side packed chock full of amateurs, but refused to blame anyone.

    “I am always disappointed at conceding goals, but you cannot blame anybody because this game was not a normal game.

    “People coming off a very long, stressful journey and then playing in such a short time. But we are happy to get this behind us.

    “Now we need to go back, take enough rest, get massages and prepare for the next game,” he added.

  • Enyeama won’t comment on bonus incident

    Enyeama won’t comment on bonus incident

    Nigeria skipper Vincent Enyeama has refused to comment on the bonus row between the squad and the Nigeria Federation just few days before the start of the FIFA Confederations Cup.

    Speaking at a press conference, the Lille custodian stated: ”I do not want to talk about it much. It was not to go to the press. We just want to play football against Tahiti.

    ”The bonus is behind us. Everything is perfect, everything is back to normal. We are responsible for our actions, but they were in the past. We do not want to spend more energy to talk about it now. After the championship, we can talk about it.”

  • Bonus row not over – Enyeama

    Bonus row not over – Enyeama

    Super Eagles captain, Vincent Enyeama, said the row over bonuses that delayed the squad’s arrival at the Confederations Cup had not been resolved, but the players were putting it behind them.

    The African champions did not arrive in Brazil until the early hours of Sunday morning, just 36 hours before their Group B opener against minnows Tahiti on Monday, after missing the scheduled flights on Thursday, MTNFootball.com reports.

    The players were unhappy about being offered bonus payments of $2,500 (1,873 euros) following a 1-1 draw with Namibia in World Cup qualifying and had demanded double that amount from the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).

    A truce was eventually brokered by Sports Minister ,Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, but Enyeama has revealed that the players were still not satisfied.

    “We haven’t settled anything, but we’ve moved on and everything is normal,” the Maccabi Tel Aviv goalkeeper told journalists.

    “We accept the criticisms, we’re responsible for our actions and we stay as a team.

    “For now, this act is behind us. We’re professionals. We don’t want to talk about this — it’s about the past and we don’t want to spend our energy on these things.

    “After the championship we’ll revisit it, but for now we’re done.”

    Coach Stephen Keshi, seated beside Enyeama at the pre-game press conference, refused to criticise his players, but admitted he was concerned about the effects of their late arrival.

    “I’m not going to tell you I’m upset with the players. The decision depends on the circumstances around it,” he said.

    “We’re here, which is the most important thing. We’re here to make Africa and Nigeria proud. Whatever has happened before is behind us and we just need to concentrate and play our game.

    “I’m a bit worried about fatigue. We have been working mentally and otherwise so the team is in shape, but the fatigue is what I’m worried about. I hope everything will be OK for tomorrow (Monday).”

    Lazio midfielder Ogenyi Onazi had apparently been ruled out of the tournament with a knee injury, but Keshi said he could yet link up with the squad if he is able to prove his fitness in Nigeria.

    “I’m still waiting for a call from Onazi,” Keshi said.

     

     

  • Enyeama gets new coach at Lille

    Enyeama gets new coach at Lille

    •Girard inks three-year deal

    SUPER EAGLES shot-stopper, Vincent Enyeama, will face a new man in-charge of Lille when he returns for pre-season from the ongoing FIFA Confederations Cup in Brazil.

    Reports coming out of France revealed that the Ligue 1 campaigners have unveiled Rene Girard as new boss after signing a three-year contract on Saturday.

    “The length of the contract is three years,” said Girard, a day after his appointment.

    “I am very happy to be here today. I know the club. What attracted me was the meeting with the president (Michel Seydoux). Lille are in the top five. Leaving Montpellier, I don’t think I could have a better opportunity,” he added.

    Girard, who steered Montpellier to the league title in 2011/12, also said that his son Nicolas would serve as an assistant on his staff.

    “It’s a resounding yes,” said Lille president Seydoux. “I knew the talent of the player, the talent of the coach and the results both as a player and a coach. What really pleased me at our first meeting was Rene’s intelligence. I have great confidence in his ability to adapt.”

    The 59-year-old Girard, who was in line for the post with Borussia Moenchengladbach’s Swiss coach Lucien Favre, takes over at Lille from Rudi Garcia, who has left for AS Roma.

  • Hapoel Tel Aviv keen to re-sign Enyeama

    Hapoel Tel Aviv keen to re-sign Enyeama

    HAPOEL Tel Aviv have intentions of signing Nigeria numero uno Vincent Enyeama this summer. The Super Eagle is not guaranteed match time at Lille this coming season.

    Thus, the Reds are looking into the possibility of having him play for them again next term.

    “We are looking into the options, I wish it to be undertaken and Enyeama will return to us.

    “Scorned us when we opened negotiations with Schechter and at the end we have signed him. Enyeama with a low chance, but we do not raise fast hands,” a club official informed Israeli website one.co.il.

    Hapoel Tel Aviv believe Vincent Enyeama could be a key figure in their quest for the title as well as the club’s aim to qualify for the group stage of the Europa League.

  • Enyeama focused on Kenya match

    Enyeama focused on Kenya match

    Nigeria shot stopper Vincent Enyeama is an optimistic man as he prepares to lead his fellow players against Harambee Stars in Wednesday’s World Cup qualifier in Nairobi.

    Buoyant and looking relaxed at his team’s hotel, Enyeama said his team’s goal is to get all three points against a Kenyan side who held them to a one all draw in Calabar in March.

    “We have come to Kenya for an important job on Wednesday and I know it will be tough but we are determined to get very positive results and it’s a do or die game in the group. Kenya showed their pedigree in Calabar but that is now past news and I know everybody will give 100 percent and praying that everything goes according to plan.”

    “Our philosophy is not to underrate any team and that has helped shape us positively before. It will all be decided on the pitch and we hope to harvest all three points before traveling to Namibia,” Enyeama told supersport.com.

    Enyeama is one of the most capped Nigerian players boasting 77 caps and has been a regular in the team since 2002. He currently plays for Israeli side Maccabi Tel Aviv on loan from French side Lille.

  • Lille ready to sell Enyeama for N237m

    Lille ready to sell Enyeama for N237m

    Ligue 1 side Lille have not guaranteed Nigeria international goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama a starting shirt next season, and are willing to sell him to Israeli champions Maccabi Tel Aviv for a fee of $1.5 million (about N237m), writes one.co.il.

    After limited playing opportunities in his first season in France, Vincent Enyeama joined the Yellows on loan this past campaign.

    The experienced goalkeeper earlier admitted that he won’t return to France to sit on the bench next season.

    Consequently, the leadership of Lille want to sell him to an interested club.

    According to the report from Israel, Maccabi Tel Aviv, who are desperately searching for a goalkeeper in the summer transfer market, are willing to meet Lille’s $1.5 million valuation of Vincent Enyeama.

    In the just concluded season, the Super Eagles numero uno recorded 27 appearances in the Ligat ha’Al.