Former Nigeria international, Jonathan Akpoborie, has said that the Dream Team VI’s shock 3-1 loss to Burkina Faso, in the semi-final of the men’s football event of the All Africa Games, shows that they must improve ahead of the Olympics qualifier in December.
Sydney Sylla gave Burkina Faso the lead in the 11th minute, before Omar Kabore doubled their advantage in the 73rd minute.
Although Samson Siasia’s men pulled one back through Daniel Etor, they conceded again in the 78th minute.
Akpoborie insists that the core of the team is solid, but requires a bit of work in order to qualify for next year’s Olympics in Rio, Brazil.
“Football is not mathematics,” Akpoborie told Goal. “The team not playing well against Burkina Faso doesn’t mean they are not a good team.
“We could have won them by five goals to nothing but football can be unpredictable, and that does not mean we have a slim chance of qualifying for the Olympics.
“Their defeat only shows that they have a lot of work to do and I believe Siasia knows exactly what to do.
“Judging by their last game I watched in Nigeria, the team created a lot of chances and also missed a lot of chances. In football, missed chances shows you are doing the right thing.
“They play good football and their style is not dictated by their opponents. That is a big plus to the technical crew.
“All they need is luck and once they have that, I believe they will start scoring and I see them getting a ticket to play at the Olympics.”
Samson Siasia’s men will take on hosts Congo in the third-place match on Thursday, while Senegal and Burkina Faso will play the final.
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