SUPER Eagles centreback William Ekong has promised that the team will be looking to make up for the shock 0-2 loss to Madagascar in the group stages of the ongoing African Cup of Nations when they face Cameroon this afternoon.
After winning their first two group games against Burundi and Guinea 1-0 respectively, the Eagles suffered a shock loss to Madagascar, which led to them ending second in their group. As a result they now face Cameroon in the Round of 16 at the Alexandria Stadium and the players have guaranteed that they will put in a better performance than they did in their last match.
Ekong said the shock 2-0 group stage defeat by Madagascar has provided extra motivation for the team ahead of today’s clash with defending champions Cameroon. He added that the players are aware of the way the fans felt hurt by the loss, so would not be taking Cameroon lightly.
“Everyone was upset about the last game against Madagascar so I think everyone has that extra motivation. It’s do or die because we know we have to do everything to stay in the tournament.
“It’s going to be a tough game against Cameroon, we faced them in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers and they might be out for revenge so we have to be ready for them. We’ve been in this situation before when we’ve lost games when we might have been favourites beforehand,” Ekong added.
He pointed out that the same thing happened at home against South Africa at the start of qualifying but the Eagles bounced back. According to the Udinese defender, the players are going to be very eager to prove a point.
“I think everyone now has woken up from that game as no one was satisfied with that performance. We have to be very driven to show Nigeria and Africa that we feel otherwise, as if you need motivation for this game you’re probably not in the right mindset.,” Ekong added.
