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Tag: Oduamadi

  • ODUAMADI REVEALS: Robinho forced me out of Milan

    ODUAMADI REVEALS: Robinho forced me out of Milan

    Nnamdi Oduamadi has revealed he opted for a loan move away from AC Milan after Brazil star Robinho failed to return to Santos.

    The Super Eagles left winger said: “I really wanted to remain at AC Milan but I know it would be to my detriment as Robinho did not make the move to Santos and I did not want to stay on the bench so I decided to accept another loan move.”

    He said his loan move to Brescia in the Italian Serie B will afford him regular first-team football, especially as the World Cup in Brazil is just around the corner.

    “The World Cup is next year and for me to keep making the team (Super Eagles), I need to continue playing regularly and at Brescia I am assured of regular football,” he said.

    He has been severally loaned out to clubs in Serie B like Torino, Genoa and Varese. The 22-year-old winger has been at Milan since 2009.

  • Keshi highlights Oduamadi’s qualities

    Keshi highlights Oduamadi’s qualities

    Super Eagles Head Coach, Stephen Keshi has taken time to highlight the qualities of one his players, Nnamdi Oduamadi, even as the Eagles get set for today’s high profile friendly against the Stallions of Burkina Faso.

    The Big Boss reeled out the endearing qualities of the Brescia midfielder when asked what informed his choice for the starting XI in last Saturday’s 2-0 victory over the Flames of Malawi in a World Cup qualifying match in Calabar.

    “The reason we brought Oduamadi in is that, he is very quick on his feet, he is a good dribbler, he can provoke to cause penalty or free kicks in the 18yard box and he is works very hard too and he is team player,” the Big Boss told futaa.com in Calabar.

    Though Oduamadi did not find the back of the net like he did in the last game against Kenya in which he rescued a vital point for Nigeria, he exhibited the qualities highlighted by Coach Keshi as he gifted the Eagles the penalty kick which effectively sealed Malawi’s fate on Saturday.

  • Oduamadi boasts: Bring on any team

    Oduamadi boasts: Bring on any team

    Super Eagles forward Nnamdi Oduamadi told SportingLife that the Super Eagles are ready to face any opponents in the final game of the African qualifiers. Nigeria through to the final stage of the qualifiers after defeating Malawi 2-0 to emerge the Group F leader with 12 points at the U.J Esuene Stadium, Calabar on Saturday.

    All the ten countries qualified from their group will meet to know the five African countries that will represent the continent at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. FIFA will seed the ten countries into two based on their World Ranking. Nigeria is seeded among the top five in Africa. AS Brescia of Italy forward, who was an integral part of Stephen Keshi winning squad yesterday said Eagles are team to beat at the moment.

    ‘’We have to celebrate today’s (Saturday) victory because we prayed for it and we got it. We are happy that we made Nigeria happy with our performance today and we thank Nigerians for their support,’’ Oduamadi said.

    “We are ready to face any team in the final qualifiers because we are well motivated to do so now. We are not scared of any team. We are happy and everybody is behind us now. We can’t wait to play the final game and get ticket for World Cup.”

  • Oduamadi ready to strike

    Oduamadi ready to strike

    Brescia winger, Nnamdi Oduamadi wants a chance to play as a striker for Nigeria in today’s 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Malawi in Calabar.

    Oduamadi made his name playing as a winger for Nigeria’s under 23 team and was also drafted in the same position at his former club in Italy, Varese.

    The 23-year-old, however, seems to have added a new dimension to his game as he scored a hattrick in Nigeria’s opening game at the 2013 Fifa Confederations Cup in Brazil against minnows, Tahiti. He was drafted to play as a striker in the Super Eagles’ first full training session on Thursday and the attacker says he will like to be saddled with similar responsibilities today.

    “After the Confederations Cup in Brazil, the coach (Stephen Keshi) saw something in me. He asked me to play just behind the top striker. He told me I am doing very well. Usually, I operate from the left but if the coach wants me to play from the middle, I will gladly do it,” Oduamadi exclusively told supersport.com on Friday.

    Oduamadi who scored in Nigeria’s last game in Calabar; a 1-1 draw against Kenya’s Harambee Stars will want a repeat against Malawi’s Flames today.

    “I still remember that match against Kenya. The tension was unbelievable and I had to come in as a second half substitute. The emotions that went through my body after I scored were just unbelievable.

    “I want to score again but this time, I pray the game does not end in a draw,” he said.

    Oduamadi has scored four goals in seven appearances for Nigeria.

  • Oduamadi out of Spain tie

    Oduamadi out of Spain tie

    Super Eagles top scorer, Nnamdi Oduamadi will no play any part in the team’s Sunday’s cracker against Spain in the ongoing FIFA Confederations Cup in Fortaleza, no thanks to the ankle injury he picked up during the defeat to Uruguay on Thursday night.

    SportingLife scooped from the team’s official that the player will also be further assessed to know the degree of the injury he sustained.

    “Oduamadi from what we can see now will likely not be ready to play against Spain on Sunday. However, he is expected to undergo more test to truly accertain the duration he will likely be on the sideline,” the official added.

    Oduamadi, it will be recalled, scored a hat-trick in Nigeria 6-1 bashing of Tahiti in Belo Horizonte last week in the Eagles opening match of the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup.

  • Oduamadi: I’ve conquered injuries Says, Eagles relaxed at the beginning

    Oduamadi: I’ve conquered injuries Says, Eagles relaxed at the beginning

    Nigeria’s Nnamdi Oduamadi believes his injury concerns are over as he looks forward to play more regularly for the Stephen Keshi-tutored Super Eagles.

    Odumadi who scored Eagles equaliser in last weekend’s 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Kenya’s Harambee Stars at the U.J Esuene Stadium, Calabar is already looking forward for more time on the pitch.

    “It was really painful not being part of the AFCON 2013 squad as a result of my injury. However, I’m happy to have been given another opportunity by the coaches to be part of the team against Kenya. Hopefully, after overcoming the injury setbacks, I will be working more to get more invitation to the national team especially the forthcoming Confederations Cup in Brazil and other subsequent Eagles matches.

    “I’m always ready to represent by fatherland whenever I am called. And when I was introduced in I knew I would change the course of the game,” an excited Oduamadi told SportingLife.

    Meanwhile, the Italy-based forward who was a second half substitution for ineffective, Sunday Mba noted that the condition of the U.J Esuene Stadium didn’t give too room for his teammates to fully express themselves during the encounter.

    “The pitch is a little bit hard. It was hard… It wasn’t that we didn’t play very well in the game but we relaxed at the beginning and this allowed them to score first before we started mounting serious pressure which didn’t pay off for most part of the day,” Oduamadi added.

  • Oduamadi rescues Eagles against Harambee

    Oduamadi rescues Eagles against Harambee

     Scores in the additional time

    AS Varese attacking winger, Nnamdi Oduamadi, scored a goal at the death as African champions, Nigeria, could only salvage a point against Kenya in a World Cup qualifier on Saturday.

    The African champions were without the like of Joseph Yobo and injured Emmanuel Emenike as Kenya opted to play deep in their half in the opening half hour while Nigeria pulled the strings.

    Obafemi Martins and Victor Moses played a two-one in a bid to open the Kenyan backline but saw their attempt turned out for a corner kick inside five minutes.

    Kenya continued to play 10 men behind the ball and were almost caught off guard on 23 minutes when Martins played in Moses before Arnold Origi goes down well to save.

    The resultant corner kick was cleared off the line by Jamal Mohammed as the Kenyans defended deep.

    Within minutes, the Martins and Moses combination worked well to free up Brown Ideye, who got the ball in the net, but it was chalked off for offside.

    And with eight minutes to the break, the African champions find themselves in unfamiliar territory.

    Thika United’s Francis Kahata curled in a free kick with so much curve on the ball into the top left corner of Vincent Enyeama from 25 yards as Kenya surprisingly took the lead.

    Kenya’s goal was the first on Nigerian soil in 28 years thereby ending a 10,199-day wait for an Harambee Stars’ away goal against the West Africans.

    Nigeria then went agonisingly close twice through Moses, whose attempts were blocked as a disciplined Kenyan side protected their one-goal lead into the break.

    Nigeria’s Super Eagles started stronger in the second half as Moses delivered a pin-point free kick into Kenya’s area but Martins’ headed attempt was deflected off target.

    On 63 minutes, Ogenyi Onazi played Ideye through but the Dynamo Kiev forward could only shoot straight at Origi.

    With less than 11 minutes left, Dennis Oliech played Kahata through but Enyeama rushed out to narrow him down as he shot off target.

    Three minutes into added time substitute Oduamadi put Nigeria level after the Kenyans failed to clear a bubbling ball.

    Nigeria still top Group F of the 2014 Fifa World Cup qualification on five points after Malawi won 1-0 at Namibia on Saturday.

  • Tom Tom Most Valuable Player/Guinness Goal award: Oduamadi grabs 7000 dollars

    Tom Tom Most Valuable Player/Guinness Goal award: Oduamadi grabs 7000 dollars

    Dedicates goal to mother, Patricia
    Omeruo wins Peak Man of the Match prize

     

    AS Varese of Italy’s midfielder, Nnamdi Oduamadi who saved Nigeria’s blushes with an injury time winner emerged the Tom Tom Most Valuable Player (5000 dollars) and the Guinness Goal (2000 Dollars) Awards of the 2014 World Cup qualifying match between the Super Eagles and Kenya’s Harambee Stars in the process enriched his pocket with a sum of USD7,000 (about N2m).

    Oduamadi who replaced Sunday Mba in the 75th minute slammed home the much needed equalizer in the 94th minute of the tension soaked encounter to the delight of the Calabar fans after Kenya got an unlikely lead through Francis Kahata Nyambura in the 36th minute.

    Speaking with SportingLife after the game, former AC Torino player said he dedicated the goal to his mother, Patricia Oduamadi who has been his source of encouragement in his

    career.

    He said he was never perturbed despite coming on at a time that every of his movement would be under spotlight as Nigeria searched frantically for an equalizer that was becoming elusive.

    “I thank God for this goal and for using me as an instrument to put our World Cup campaign back on track. It was a collective effort but the Kenyans made the game very difficult for us,” he said.

    “I dedicate my goal to my mother for role in my career. She is my number one supporter and her words of encouragement have always been very crucial.”

    Meanwhile, ADO Den Haag of Holland fast rising defender, Kenneth Omeruo was voted the Peak Man of the Match for his sterling performance throughout the game.

    The youngster has not played up to 10 matches for the Eagles and only made his debut about two games to the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa.

     

  • Injured Oduamadi admits he misses football

    Nigeria winger Nnamdi Oduamadi has admitted he misses the game just as he began rehabilitation for a hip injury.

    The Varese of Italy forward told MTNFootball.com he has begun his journey back to action after a long injury layoff as he now walks any without support and has been working out at the gym.

    “I have dropped the crutches, I am feeling better now. I have now commenced work at the gym and I will soon start training,” he disclosed.

    “I have missed the game a lot and I am very much eager to return to action soon.”

    He suffered the injury during training with the Super Eagles in June and needed surgery thereafter.

    The former AC Milan player was part of the Torino team who won promotion back to Serie A last term where he scored three goals in 11 appearances.