Kigali pitch robbed us of victory — Etuhu

NIGERIAN midfielder, Dickson Etuhu was scathing in his assessment of the Kigali pitch after the 0-0 draw against Rwanda on Wednesday. The artificial pitch of the Stade Regional de Kigali was roundly blamed, as the uneven surface did not allow for quality passing.
“What a bad pitch,” Etuhu wrote.
He also added that football supporters should be patient with the team as they will eventually come good.
“We need our fans behind us fully from now on. We understand their frustration but let’s move forward together,” he said.
But the match was important as Wigan winger, Victor Moses made his debut for Nigeria, and Joseph Yobo earned his 87th cap for the national team, a record for the Super Eagles.
Yobo said he was disappointed but not shocked at the performance of the Rwandans, as there are no longer small teams in world football.
“We came away with a goalless draw, everybody expected us to win but that is football. Tell our fans that they will get a better result next time.”
The record holder also gave kudos to the Rwandan side but was sure that Nigeria would win the second leg convincingly.
“Towards the end of the match it was tense and the opposition threatened but we stood our ground, Nigerians should just remember that it’s an away game, we’ll do better next time,” Yobo concluded.
The return leg will be played in Abuja in June.
Meanwhile, Enugu Rangers' leading scorer this term, Chikeluba Ofoedu will be invited by the Super Eagles' head coach, Stephen Keshi when the team's camp for local-based stars re-opens in Abuja.
Ofoedu has scored four times in the Nigeria Premier League (NPL) this season including last weekend's winner at struggling club, ABS FC.
SuperSport.com source in the Super Eagles confirmed yesterday morning that the pacy Rangers' striker has been scouted by national team selectors in recent league games.
Keshi, 50, is said to be impressed by the dossier and performance of the former UNTH FC man and is ready to include him in his plans of building a formidable squad for the West African nation.
But the 20-year-old striker will have to impress the Nigerian head coach when he earns a call-up soon.
"The Big Boss, Keshi has a network of people scouting for him in the Nigeria Premier League and he is very aware of the talents of Rangers' striker, Chikeluba Ofoedu. He has promised to include the striker in his next camping plan for players based in the country as part of his building process for the Super Eagles.
"He has spoken so well of Chikeluba and he even watched him play against Heartland last month where the striker did well. But he will have to impress to become a part of the team on a permanent basis," SuperSport.com was informed.
Keshi's competitive tenure as Nigeria's manager kicked off on Wednesday in Kigali against Rwanda with a goalless outing in the first leg, first round of the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.

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