Celtic defence ace Ambrose Efe says the desire to make a name for themselves propelled the South Africa 2013 Africa Cup of Nations Cup Super Eagles to victory at the tournament.
The 24-year-old, who was criticised by his Celtic teammate Kris Commons for the Scottish team’s 3-0 home defeat to Italian giants Juventus in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League last-16 tie on Tuesday, played a prominent role in Nigeria’s triumph at the Nations Cup.
The former Israel-based player regretted that a majority of Nigerians wrote off the team’s chances at the continental finals, saying it helped the players.
“We were not under pressure as people were not expecting us to win,” the versatile player told Mtnfootball.com during the week.
“ That made us to be determined to write our name in gold, work harder and make Nigeria proud. I thank God he made it happen for us. We worked hard and believed in God.”
The former Bayelsa United player, who was named the best right-back of South Africa 2013, said although he is excited about playing at the Confederations Cup in June, Nigeria’s qualification for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil is his ultimate goal.
He said, “I give God the glory for giving me the strength to do well. It is not only me, it happened due to the contribution of my teammates who did well on the field to make my job easier. The coach too did a great job on me and the team.
“It (the Confederation Cup) will be a big tournament too where we will fly Africa’s flag, but the World Cup is the main target for me. That is the biggest stage.”
On Nigeria’s World Cup qualifier against Kenya on March 22, Efe promised to give his best in the encounter.
“I want to do my best and help Nigeria qualify for the World Cup,” he said.