We paid for inexperience – Keshi

JUNE 22, 2013 BY FESTUS ABU 11 COMMENTS

Super Eagles coach, Stephen Keshi

Stephen Keshi believes his side paid for their inexperience after they lost to Uruguay  at the Confederations Cup.

The Super Eagles  went down 2-1  to  La Celeste (The Sky Blue One) in Salvador,  Brazil on Thursday, but Keshi insisted that the result would have been different if his players  were “a little more professional”.

“I wouldn’t say Uruguay surprised me,” the former Nigeria captain was quoted byFIFA.com as saying after the encounter.

 “We watched their last two games and they played just the way we expected.

“What you have to remember, though, is that they’ve spent six years together, whereas we’ve only been working for a year and half. It all came down to a question of concentration. We switched off for the second goal and it cost us the game.”

The Tunisia ’94 Africa Cup of Nations winner added, “I think my players played well and played to instructions. It was just one minute’s lack of concentration that made the difference. Otherwise it was good.”

He praised the team for improving throughout the encounter in which Diego Forlan celebrated his 100th appearance for Uruguay in style, setting up one goal then scoring the winner  to move his team within sight of the  semifinals.

Mikel Obi equalised for the African champions on 37 minutes after he eluded the Uruguay captain Diego Lugano to finish with some class from the edge of the South American champions’ box.

“Keshi said, “I’m very proud of what my boys did, considering the difference in experience between the two sides. I hope we can maintain this standard and just up the concentration levels a bit and be a little more professional.”

He  rued  the team’s missed opportunities in the encounter, promising to work on his attack.

Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez said he expected a difficult encounter and hailed Forlan  his performance.

“Since the draw was made we’ve been saying this was our big game,” the 66-year-old said.

“We’ve never played with the three strikers ( Forlan, Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani) like that before. We felt we had to go for it and it worked out for us.

“We pressed really well at the start and then Nigeria gained control through to the second half, when we took the lead and stayed solid at the back. We could have killed the game off earlier but we’re very pleased all the same.”