Nottingham Forest striker Taiwo Awoniyi has opened up on the agony of missing out on the last Qatar 2022 World Cup, which was won by Argentina and inspired by Lionel Messi.
The Super Eagles striker, who shared his hurt in a chat with Oganla Media, said that the inability of the team to qualify for the last World Cup was painful, and the torture still lingers in the minds of most players of the senior national team.
Awoniyi said, ”We didn’t qualify for the last World Cup, and it’s on everyone’s mind in the national team.
“Everyone wants to be in the World Cup, and I believe every player is looking forward to it to make the country proud.” He added.
The player also reacted to the appointment of George Finidi as the new coach of the Super Eagles, saying he deserves the great opportunity as he has been humble to the players.
“For me, being the assistant of the Super Eagles and with what he has achieved for the country, for me, it is the humility he has shown to the players, and like I always said, everyone deserves a great opportunity,” Awoniyi said.
“We have a lot of players, and we have a good coach in Nigeria as well, and we hope to get it right on the field of play.”
On June 7, the Super Eagles will play host to Bafana Bafana at Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo in a World Cup qualifying game. Four days later, they will fly to Ivory Coast to play the Benin Republic in continuation of the qualifiers.
The Super Eagles, who are now third in Group C of the African qualifiers, are behind South Africa and Rwanda. The team is now condemned to win both games.
