Lagos- Reigning African Footballer of the Year, Yaya Toure, who captained the Elephants of Cote D’Ivoire on Monday said that he was shocked by the Super Eagles’ brilliant performance at their Jan. 11 friendly match.
A statement issued by Ben Alaiya, Super Eagles Media Officer, said that Toure praised the team for its efforts against Elephants of Cote D’Ivoire.
“ The team made up of entirely Nigerian League players performed well against my star-studded Elephants of Cote D’Ivoire on Sunday night in Abu Dhabi.
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“At a point, I had to tell my teammates to slow down the pace of the game; when we scored, we could not wait for the final whistle.
“The boys were all over us; they must be commended for their display,” the statement said quoted Toure as saying.
It said that Toure spoke to Super Eagles Coach, Dan Amokachi, after the match, and expressed surprises.
It said that Leon Balogun, Germany-based Eagles’ defender, also commended the team for the performance.
“Kudos to the Eagles for a good display,” Balogun was quoted as saying.
According to the statement, Balogun is playing with a German second division side, SV Darmstadt 98.
The statement added that officials of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) also commended the Eagles for their approach to the game after staying together for only nine days before the match.
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The said that the officials included the NFF Technical Committee Chairman, Chief Felix Anyansi Agwu and General Secretary, Musa Amadu.
It quoted the technical committee chairman as saying that the match was a fantastic advertisement for the Nigerian League.
It said that Amadu was confident that in spite of some lapses, the team was did well, having played against an experienced side,” he said.
According to the statement, the Executive Committee members of the NFF, Inua Sheriff and Hussein Modibbo, who were both in Abu Dhabi, also hailed the Eagles.
The match ended 1-0 in favour of Cote D’Ivoire. (NAN)
