You need new approach against Sudan, Sofoluwe tells Eagles

As the Home-based Super Eagles confront their Sudanese counterparts in one of the semifinal matches tomorrow at the on-going CHAN competition in Morocco, former Green Eagles star, Yisa Sofoluwe has given the team some tips on how to cage the opponent.

Nigeria will take on Sudan in Marrakech tomorrow for a place in the tournament showpiece after overcoming a big scare from the Palancas Negras of Angola on Sunday in a game that went into extra time. It ended 2-1 for Nigeria.

With attention of many sports-loving Nigerians now focused in Marrakech, Sofoluwe says the coach Salisu Yusuf-led Eagles must approach the Sudanese with a different pattern, particularly in the area of goal scoring.

“The team has shown that it is hungry to win the trophy for the first time, and I am impressed with their performance so far,” Sofoluwe said. “But this is the semifinal and against Sudanese side that has majority of the players playing for clubs at home. There should be no room for unnecessary showmanship. The players must take their scoring chances. They have been wasting a lot of scoring chances in the competition, but against Sudan, there must be no room for such mistakes. The players must be focused throughout the duration of the match. I see them winning the trophy, but as I pointed out, there must be no room for mistakes,” Sofoluwe stated.

Also speaking yesterday with The Guardian, Coach of NATH Boys FC, Achievement Yunus, said that the home-based Eagles are good physically, but still needs to work on their scoring chances to triumph against Sudan tomorrow.

“The team had 25 goal scoring chances against Angola, five of the chances were blown over the bar and they only made good use of two. That was too bad for a team that is eager to win a trophy. For them to qualify for the final, our players need to change their approach, especially in goal scoring. The midfielders need to connect the attackers, and they must support the defenders when the need arises,” Yunus stated.

Other football loving Nigerians who spoke yesterday urged the team to go all out to beat Sudan tomorrow for Nigeria to move a step closer to the CHAN trophy for the first time.