'The target is the gold medal' - Maduka Okoye set lofty target for Super Eagles at AFCON

Published: January 07, 2022

Watford loanee Maduka Okoye believes the Super Eagles are considered frontrunners to win the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations.

Augustine Eguavoen's team begin their campaign at the Africa Cup of Nations against Egypt on January 11 with the knowledge that a win will put them in a good position to qualify for the knockout rounds of the competition as Guinea Bissau and Sudan are easier opponents on paper.

Nigeria have finished in the podium places in fifteen of their eighteen participation at the Africa Cup of Nations, taking home the main prize in 1980, 1994 and 2013, and picked up silver medals four times in 1984, 1988, 1990 and 2000.

Okoye made the most of the opportunity given to him by erstwhile coach Gernot Rohr and is still number one in the pecking order of goalkeepers for the Africa Cup of Nations, going by the team's training sessions before their trip to Cameroon.

"The target is the gold medal. If we go there not thinking about gold, maybe silver or bronze is even more difficult so we need to put in our mind we want to win this AFCON," Okoye said to MTN Nigeria's We Move With Super Eagles.

Nigeria will be without some of their key players at the Africa Cup of Nations including Victor Osimhen, Leon Balogun and Odion Ighalo.

Okoye has argued that the absence of these players has not deflated the mood in the Super Eagles camp.

"Of course they are very important players for us, for the country but we could see that the coach made other good decisions, and players who can also do very good things like these top players."

Ifeanyi Emmanuel

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