Africa Cup of Nations 2013: Nigeria Will Ride Momentum to World Cup Success

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: February 11, 2013

commentComment        



The Nigerian Super Eagles will take the experience and confidence gained in their championship at the Africa Cup of Nations into the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, and parlay that into a nice run.

On Sunday, Nigeria took down Burkina Faso, 1-0. The game's only goal came in the first half on a brilliant play by Sunday Mba.

The midfielder got a ricochet near the edge of the box, volleyed over a defender and then perfectly struck it with his left foot for a score. 



This was all Nigeria needed to complete their dominant run in the Africa Cup of Nations. It was their first appearance in the finals since their loss in penalties to Cameroon in 2000, and their first title in the tournament since 1994. 

The '94 team was captained by Nigeria's current coach Stephen Keshi. 

Keshi has this group playing with confidence, and they are starting to peak just in time for the upcoming World Cup. 

Nigeria's next step in the march towards the World Cup is a March 22 meeting with Kenya in Abuja for a qualifying match. Prior to that, they're going to gain even more top-notch experience in the upcoming Confederations Cup, locked in a group with mighty Spain, Uruguay and Tahiti.

Nigeria has their work cut out for them if they want to hang with world No. 1 Spain or world No. 16 Uruguay, but the experience of playing with these elite teams will prepare them for intense play of the World Cup.  

Nigeria is a modest 4-2-8 in World Cup play, but they have made the second round in 1994 and 1998. 

So, just like their 1994 Africa Cup of Nations title helped propel them to the second round of the World Cup, Keshi will help ensure that this squad makes a similar run. 

Read more International Football news on BleacherReport.com

...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - International Football

Latest News


Comments

Comments are closed.

Sponsors

Bruins Tickets The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

Red Wings Tickets The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League.

Penguins Tickets The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

New York Rangers Tickets play their home games at Madison Square Garden, they are one of the oldest teams in the NHL, having joined in 1926 as an expansion franchise, and are part of the group of teams referred to as the Original Six.

San Jose Sharks Tickets The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California, United States.

Toronto Maple Leafs Tickets The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

New Jersey Devils Tickets The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

Washington Capitals Tickets The Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C.

Buffalo Sabres Tickets The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League. Get the Sabres and all of your NHL Tickets here.

NASCAR season is on of the most attended sports in the world. NASCAR Tickets to the best tracks is a must every year. Some of these tracks are: Talladega Tickets, Lowes Motor Speedway Tickets, Pocono Raceway Tickets, located in Ridgeway Virginia you have Martinsville Speedway Tickets and southern US you have two of the most popular Atlanta Motor Speedway Tickets and Texas Motor Speedway Tickets. Don't miss all the racing events this year!

Boston Red Sox Tickets The Boston Red Sox are a member of the Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Since 1912, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park. This is one of the hottest MLB Tickets sales of any team in the major league.

New York Yankees Tickets The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the borough of the Bronx, in New York City, New York and are a member of Major League Baseball's American League East Division. Get tickets to one of the hottest games of the season Yankees Red Sox Tickets.

Chicago Cubs Tickets The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League.

Phillies Tickets The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883.

Orioles Tickets The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland.

Do you love wrestling? Get your WWE Tickets and WWE Survivor Series Tickets today!