No second half in big matches, Garba Lawal admonishes Eagles
Aformer international, Garba Lawal has warned the Super Eagles against waiting till second half to play as he said at the World Cup stage, there may be no opportunities to fight back.
The Olympian who represented Nigeria at the France 1998 and Japan/Korea 2002 FIFA World Cup said in their recent friendly matches, the Super Eagles waited till second half to start playing their game.
Speaking to Daily Trust yesterday, Lawal warned the Eagles that the match against Croatia on Saturday is a big one and like in any World Cup match, there is ‘no second half’.
“First match at the World Cup is always very difficult. Every team wants to win because they know that if they win two matches, they are already in the second round.
The Eagles must play smart against Croatia. They have to play as a team. There is no second half. This is world stage. This is where the best players in the world are meeting. The best of the best.
“There is no room for errors. Of course they are human beings and are bound to err but they must cut errors down to the barest minimum.
Lawal therefore urged the Eagles to do everything humanly possible to win their opening match against Croatia.
He stressed that victory in the first match will propel them against Iceland and Argentina. “I noticed that in most of their matches, they didn’t do well in the first half but played better in the second half. “I want to repeat that there is no second half in big games. Before you know it, four goals have entered your net and there might be no way to come back,” he advised.