Nigeria: U-23 Eagles’ Defeat, Stepping Stone to Aag Victory – Awako

Ime Bassey

16 July 2011

Black Meteors attacking midfielder, Gladson Awako has opined that the team’s 2-0 victory over the Austin Eguavoen led U-23 Eagles in the return leg tie of the All Africa Games qualifier in Kumasi, will spur them to victory at the Games proper.

Speaking to Saturday Vanguard Sports after his team’s victory, the former Recreativo de Huelva and member of the victorious Ghana U-20 team at the 2009 African Youth Championship in Rwanda said they are going to Maputo to prove a point to their fellow Ghanaians and themselves.

“We are optimistic that we will prove a point in Mozambique with this performance today because most Ghanaians did not think we were good enough after losing out in the Olympic qualifying race”, he said.

“It is very great to be part of the All Africa Games given the fact that we did not qualify for the Olympics. I think we did wonderfully well to be in the All Africa Games. It is great for us as players to be part of the fun come September.

We were in Benin in Nigerian; we knew how they defeated us, so we had foreknowledge of how we can do better and beat them here in Kumasi and we won the game,” Awako stressed.

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