HAVING succumbed to the superior firepower of the Nigerian team in the on-going WAFU Nations Cup in Abeokuta, Niger Republic and Liberia will today take to the field in an encounter that will decide the country to join the Super Eagles in the semifinal of the competition.Liberia lost 0-1 to Nigeria on the opening day of the competition, while Niger went down 4-0 on Saturday to give the coach Samson Siasia-led Eagles Team B a ticket for the semifinals.Niger Coach, Brah Taher, says todays encounter against Liberia is a must win for his side. He told The Guardian after the defeat to Nigeria that although he is rebuilding his squad for the future, he hopes to get a win against Liberia and hit the semifinal to put smiles on the faces of his people back home.He said: The Super Eagles of Nigeria is a big team and so we are not really disappointed losing to them. We decided to take part in the competition just to expose the team because our objective is to prepare the team for the future. We are actually rebuilding our team for the future so this kind of competition will enable our boys to be exposed to this type of tournament. But I want to beat Liberia and get a semifinal ticket to put smiles on the faces of our people back home.But to Coach Thomas Kojo of the Liberia the Lone Stars would use todays game against Niger to prove to the fans that his team has the potential to win the competition.After losing 0-1 to the Super Eagles on the opening day, Kojo accused the referee of being the Nigerian 12th player on the pitch as he allegedly ignored his teams plea for penalty on two occasions for ball handling inside the box.He told The Guardian after a training session yesterday that there would be no hiding place for Niger Republic, saying: We just have to beat them and stay on.The last minute withdrawal of Mali left three countries, Nigeria, Niger and Liberia in Group A, while Ghana and Togo are the only teams in Group B following the inability of Senegal and The Gambia to make it to the competition venue due to what an official described as logistic problem.The Black Stars of Ghana and their Togolese counterparts are automatic semifinalists, but the two teams have to play twice to determine the group winner. They played their first match at the MKO Abiola Stadium yesterday and will meet again tomorrow.
Click here to read full news..
