Uche looks beyond Elephants tie

Ikechukwu Uche
| credits: yeoal.blogspot.com

Villarreal of Spain point man, Ike Uche, has said his target is to play in the final of the Nations Cup in South Africa. He called on his colleagues to play as a unit against the Elephants of Ivory Coast on Sunday.

Speaking at the Eagles training session on the pitch of the Olympic Park Stadion, Rustenburg on Thursday, the striker, who said there are other stronger sides capable of reaching the final, believes that their opponents on Sunday are not the only obstacles to Eagles success in the competition.

“At this point, everyone must work hard to lift Nigeria. We are not playing for ourselves here, we are playing for our country and we must offer our best. That is how we can beat Ivory Coast on Sunday.

“The Nations Cup standard has risen beyond what it used to be. Only the prepared team can win it. It’s no longer easy to make it to the competition and there are even stronger teams that are not here.

“To justify our qualification and progress so far, we must target the final, irrespective of who our opponents are. People are talking of the Elephants but they are a team that want to succeed like Nigeria. We need to also demonstrate that eagerness,” he said.

Uche expresses satisfaction with the young players in the Eagles squad, giving a positive verdict on the future of the team.

“I am playing with new players but I am impressed with the contribution of those boys. They have a large heart and deserve good reward. As a player, you should be ready to play your role and that is what I intend to do now,” he said.