Leganes Defender Awaziem On His Two Worst And Best Moments As A Super Eagles Player

Leganes defender Chidozie Awaziem has admitted that his two worst moments as a Super Eagles player came in his first and last competitive games against South Africa and Lesotho respectively.

On his competitive debut in a 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Bafana Bafana in June 2017, the Porto loanee put every foot wrong, gave away possession easily and was often chasing shadows.

And against Lesotho in a 2021 AFCONQ in November 2019, Awaziem had a decent game but gifted the opponents a goal when he put the ball into his own net as he attempted to clear a cross.

"My worst game, it was a bad day for me and the team. It wasn't good because it was the first official game I played for the Super Eagles and starting we lost, it was not what I wanted, I felt really bad," Awaziem told the Super Eagles Media Team via Instagram.

"The game didn't go well the way I wanted it to go.  I didn't have the full confidence I should have, some couple of bad passes, some indecisions, trying to impress but at the end of the day we lost the game and I wasn't happy with my game.

"And also the day I scored the own goal against Lesotho. Scoring an own goal is not good for a defender."

Awaziem recollected with pride his brilliant display against Cameroon in the last sixteen of the 2019 AFCON as he spoke about his best moment in the national team.

"Against Cameroon in the AFCON, 3-2. That game made my day, made my AFCON complete because I couldn't imagine losing the game we were winning and then the opponents started leading 2-1.

"I was so tired in the first half. Bassogog started from the right and then changed to the left, I was so tired because I was running the line which I am not very used to playing in the right back.

"The national team coach gave me the confidence to go all out at right-back, that's all what I needed and I had to give everything.

"The game turned around and we won, the ball I crossed for Ahmed Musa in combination with Ighalo and he scored made my day," he concluded.

Awaziem trained with the Golden Eaglets ahead of the World Cups in United Arab Emirates (2013) and Chile (2015), before earning a maiden invitation to the Super Eagles in 2017.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel