Super Eagles goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali has said teams are bound to concede goals at a tournament like the Africa Cup of Nations after Nigeria survived a late scare to beat Tunisia 3-2 in their second Group C game to reach the round of 16 with a game to spare.
“At tournaments like this, you will be bound to concede goals. Even the best teams in the world do. I don’t think there is any problem in the defence. In our last AFCON, we kept a clean sheet in our second game but football has improved a lot,” Nwabali told reporters following the game on Saturday.
The 29-year-old’s comments followed criticism on social media about his recent performances for the Super Eagles, with Nigerian football fans accusing him of conceding ‘cheap goals’ amid calls for urgent solution should Nigeria want to go further in Morocco.
Speaking further, Nwabali maintained that the team doesn’t deliberately concede goals and acknowledged that he is always in a sombre mood whenever he lets the ball into the net. He also admitted that he is used to the persistent criticism of him on social media.
“We really don’t wish to concede, we want to keep clean sheets, it pains me a lot when I concede goals but we keep going as a team. I am really proud of these players so winning today is a big boost for us going into the round of 16,” the Chippa United goalkeeper said.
“I was injured but with the help of the team’s doctor and physio, I was able to remain on the pitch today. It’s quite tough for me because it is not something that you come out to say. Whatever they say online, I’m used to it. I am always a strong man so I just want to represent my country.”
Despite the calls from some sections of social media for an urgent solution in the goalkeeping department, it is unlikely that there would be any change in Morocco as next-in-line Francis Uzoho has had his own share of errors-laden games for the Super Eagles.
