Keshi overjoyed, joins elite club

a player and coach.
Egyptian Mahmoud El Gohary (1959 and 1998) is the only other individual to have achieved the feat.
“When I came on board a year and a half ago my dream was to make Nigerians happy that they could have a very good team they could be proud of,” a beaming Keshi told reporters. “We are not there yet but we are in the process and I am happy about that.

“I am so proud of what my players did in this tournament, they played well and they concentrated on the job. They have so much potential.”

And after becoming only the second man to win the Africa Cup of Nations as a player and coach, Keshi believes his victorious Super Eagles outfit will continue to improve as a squad.

Sunday Mba struck with a left-footed volley shortly before half-time as Nigeria beat Burkina Faso 1-0 at the National Stadium on Sunday to end a 19-year Afcon trophy drought by claiming their third continental title. Keshi was delighted with his team’s efforts throughout the tournament, qualifying second in their group and then going on to beat Mali 4-1 in the semi-finals, en route to the final in Johannesburg.

“There is a lot of potential in this team, but we need patience,” Keshi said.
“We need to work very hard. I have pushed the players, but we have not arrived. We are still working, we are still building.

“But I am so proud of what they did in this tournament, they kept their concentration throughout, so I am happy about that and I hope it continues.

“There is a lot of quality in the players that right now I might say is about 80 percent of what they can give. With hard work and a lot of motivation I think they will be right up there.”

The only other man to lift the trophy as player and coach was Egypt’s Mahmoud El Gohary, who helped his country defeat Sudan 2-1 in the 1959 final and guided the Pharaohs to a 2-0 victory over South Africa 39 years later.

“Winning this tournament is mainly for my nation,” Keshi said.
“When I came aboard close to a year-and-a-half ago, my dream was to make all Nigerians happy and to know that they have a very good team.

“We are not there yet, it’s still a process, I am happy about that.
“I want to dedicate this to all Nigerian coaches who have been praying for this team. It’s not for me alone, I hope some other African coaches will get to this position and make their nation proud.”

As a player, Keshi triumphed with a golden generation of Super Eagles in a 2-1 victory against Zambia in 1994, with “Big Boss” – as he is affectionately known – lifting the trophy in his third attempt at the title as coach, having suffered first-round knockouts with Togo in 2006 and Mali in 2010.

Keshi said they were looking ahead to the future, which now includes going to Brazil later this year to take part in the Confederations Cup.

“But we need a lot of experience in the team and that’s coming, because when you play teams like these, or competitions like these, the boys gain a lot of experience.

“Qualifying for the Confederations Cup in Brazil is an honour for Nigerians. That will only enhance our quality of play and our knowledge.”

Veteran Super Eagles captain Joseph Yobo said winning the Afcon title was his biggest achievement as a player, scooping the gold medal in his final attempt at the continental showpiece.
“In my international career, this is a dream come true,” Yobo said.

“I’ve been around for 11 or 12 years and this is my sixth Afcon. I said before that this would be my last, not because I cannot play anymore, but I realised that I have given it a lot of time.” Mba scored the only goal in the 40th minute and Keshi joked that he could not describe what he was feeling in the last few minutes of the match.

Nigeria had to weather a late Burkina Faso onslaught before winning the trophy for the third time. Uppermost in Keshi’s mind was the fact Burkina Faso equalised with the last kick of the game when the two sides drew 1-1 in their opening group game three weeks ago.

“You don’t want to know what was going on in my head five minutes from the end,” said the Nigeria coach, laughing loudly. “So many things were going through my head but I was keeping the faith.”

Keshi was under huge pressure to win the tournament, almost two decades after he captained the country to their last Nations Cup triumph in 1994.

The Nigerian media had been scathing of his decision to leave established players like Peter Odemwingie and Obafemi Martins out of the squad in favour of younger, inexperienced players like match-winner Mba who plays in the domestic league. — Supersport.