Immediate past Minister of Youths and Sports Development, Barrister Solomon Dalung has felicitated with the Super Eagles following their winning start to the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt on Saturday.
He noted that opening matches are usually difficult to win and very dangerous to play.
This is even as he encouraged the Super Falcons to go back to the drawing board and review their performance at the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup in France.
This follows their 3-0 loss to Germany in the knockout stage of the biggest female soccer Mundial.
Reacting after the two games on Saturday, Dalung said in a statement by his media aide, Nneka Anibeze, that it was imperative that the Super Eagles started the competition on a winning note.
“The opening matches are usually difficult to win and also dangerous to lose which puts teams on the edge but getting three points is all that matters and now they can look ahead to the next game,” he said.
The former Minister also said that the 1-0 victory was a bold statement of intention by the team to stake a claim for the AFCON title.
“This victory is very important for the team spirit and confidence going into their second game. The team enjoys a massive followership across Nigeria with many Nigerians always desperate for a win whenever the Super Eagles step out onto the pitch.”
In a similar vein, Dalung also urged the Super Falcons to go back to the drawing board after their 3-0 knockout from the FIFA Women’s World Cup in France.
The Plateau State-born Sports administrator noted that the team did their best which was not enough to gain a quarter-final ticket in the tournament.
“The team’s performance gave us a glimpse of the abundant talents that abound in Nigeria if well harnessed. There is need for machinery to be put in motion to discover, develop and nurture more young players through grassroots development programmes and a viable women’s professional league,” Dalung concluded.
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