‘That is all you need’- Olympic gold medalist reveals how Nigeria can succeed at AFCON 2021

The Super Eagles hope to clinch their fourth AFCON crown in Cameroon, and the former Olympic champion has revealed a few things that would help their course

Atlanta 96 Olympic gold medallist Garba Lawal has mentioned teamwork and luck as two vital things that could help the Super Eagles of Nigeria achieve success at the African Cup of Nations.

The Super Eagles will go to battle in Cameroon under the tutelage of interim manager Augustine Eguavoen and hope to write their name in Nigeria’s football history by winning a fourth AFCON crown.

It has been a rocky preparation for Nigeria. The sacking of former coach Gernot Rohr barely a month before the competition, coupled with issues concerning players’ invitations, could have caused a significant distraction for the side.

Nevertheless, Lawal, who was part of the Nigerian team that won gold in football at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, believes that a mixture of luck and teamwork could be the key to victory in Cameroon.

“I believe the team needs real luck at the moment,” Lawal told NFF TV.

“The environment is already new, and I believe they’ve been talking to themselves on how they are going to do, we know that we messed up before, but there’s no second chance. Let’s just go 100 per cent and try to achieve what we are looking for.”

“It just depends on the players and the luck that they have in the tournament. You must have that luck, when you touch the ball, it will go in, that is all you need.”

“Once you win games, the more you win, the more the confidence, individually and collective, as a team, as a player.”

“So they must remain as a group. When you have a good group, then definitely you will have a good team,” he added.

The Super Eagles beat Coton Sport 2-0 in a pre-tournament friendly game on Friday and will hope to do the same to Egypt when both sides kick off their campaign next Tuesday.