National Under-23 team coach and his captain have admitted that Germany were the better side in their Rio 2016 Olympics men's football semifinal match.
Siasia and Mikel
Speaking in reaction to the tragic loss of the country's Under-23 team Dream team, the team's captain, John Mikel Obi as well as the team coach, Samson Siasia, have admitted that Germany were the better side in their Rio 2016 Olympics men’s football semifinal match in Sao Paulo on Wednesday.
Commenting further, coach Siasia who was miffed after the match, slammed his players for some of the unpardonable mistakes they made during the match.
“I don’t really know what happened to my players today (Wednesday). The had begging chances but could not score. Too many mistakes, faulty passes and you don’t pass the ball to your opponents and expect to win.
"In a competition, if you don’t win you are sent home,” Siasia had said after the match.
However, he said focus will now be on the third place match. “We are going to face it with all seriousness because it is better to go home with a bronze than nothing at all. We will go for it.”
He added that the team would put the loss behind them and fight for the bronze medal with the third place match.
“I am disappointed. Even we had chances, we couldn’t score. The German team did better. It is a shame but we don’t deserve to stay in the final playing like that,” Siasia said.
While Mikel commented, “We didn’t play well. We don’t deserve to be in the final,” the Chelsea midfielder who had promised to get the gold said.
“We are professional players and hopefully we can win a medal,” Mikel who is not giving up on winning a medal said.
The football bronze is seen as possibly the last hope of the country picking up any medal from the Rio Games.