Super Eagles’ll talk on the pitch, says Omeruo

Nigeria’s defender Kenneth Omeruo. (Photo by Giuseppe CACACE / AFP)

As soccer fans across the globe look forward to the epic quarterfinal clash between the Super Eagles and their Angolan counterparts on Friday, defender, Kenneth Omeruo, has declared that the Nigerian team is concentrating on their preparations and not ready to engage in any predictions.
Omeruo, along with Ahmed Musa, are dreaming of becoming first Nigerian players to win two gold medals at the Africa Cup of Nations.

The experienced defender came in to help stabilise the Super Eagles’ rearguard in the closing stages of the Round of 16 defeat of five-time champions, Indomitable Lions of Cameroon, at the same venue.

Omeruo is confident that the Palancas Negras (Sable Antelope) will bite the dust by the final blast of the referee’s whistle on Friday.

“We have absolutely no need to go into back-and-forth chatter with any team. The Super Eagles are in Cote d’Ivoire for serious business. We have not played Angola for a long time, but I remember we played them in 2012 in a friendly and it ended in a draw. I have also read of how previous encounters between the two countries have been quite close.

“There is no possibility of Friday’s match ending in a draw; a winner must emerge. So much talk has been going on. Our collective resolve is to do the talking on the pitch. The Nigeria spirit trumps all.”

A number of the Angolan playing personnel, including Captain Fredy Kulembe, have been talking about stepping on the Eagles to achieve their aim of a place in the semi-finals of Africa’s most prestigious football competition. But Omeruo insists that talk is cheap.

“We drew our first match (against Equatorial Guinea) and many people concluded that we are not here to