Super Eagles will go all out for victory against Cape Verde – Captain Musa says

Ahead of Nigeria’s World Cup qualifying final group stage game against Cape Verde on Tuesday, Super Eagles captain Ahmed Musa has said the team will be going all out for victory against the Blue Sharks in Lagos.

It’s an eagerly-anticipated match, with Nigeria requiring just a point to advance to the World Cup play-offs, and Musa has assured that the team are capable of dealing with the pressure that may come with the clash.

“There will always be all kinds of pressure when you are out there on the football field, as a professional sportsman or woman,” Musa told thenff.com just before the Super Eagles had their last training session at the Teslim Balogun Stadium on Monday evening.

“You just must have strong fibre to cope with the pressure from everywhere, focus on getting the result and get the job done. Pressure is never an excuse not to put out your best; sometimes, it helps you to get beyond your level best,”

At a pre-match press conference earlier in the day, Musa, who’s Nigeria’s record international caps’ holder, also said the big motivation to go all out in Tuesday’s encounter is that a number of players in the squad are yet to feature at the FIFA World Cup finals.

“The FIFA World Cup is the biggest stage for every professional football player. They all want to be there; you don’t need any more motivation than that. We said after the match with Liberia in Tangier on Saturday that we will not be going for a draw against Cape Verde. Nothing has changed.”

Head Coach Gernot Rohr, who will be in charge of his 54th game for the Nigeria senior men’s team on Tuesday, expressed confidence in the team’s ability to collect all three points against the Sharks, just as they did when both teams met in Mindelo in September.

“We have a job on our hands and that is to win tomorrow. It is important to win so as to be sure of where you will be at the end of the day. We are top of the table now and a win keeps us there and sends us to the final knockout round.

“I really don’t think we are under any pressure. We have 12 points, two more than the opponents. They are the ones with the big pressure to come out and look for a win. Our approach for tomorrow will be to win. The players are looking forward to doing that.”