World Cup winning former France international, Marcel Desailly has tipped the Super Eagles to be one of the surprise teams of the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
Desailly, who was an important member of the French team that won the World Cup for the first time in their history in 1998, lamented the absent of Ghana from the Mundial but said other African nations, especially Nigeria will make the continent proud.
”My native Ghana did not get into the final part. This is my spiritual wound. However, other African teams are able to surprise,” Desailly told Sport Express Russia.
”And Nigeria, which has a strong squad, and the Arab countries, Tunisia, Egypt. Perhaps, the moment has come when a team from Africa will finally reach the semifinals.”
In their maiden appearance at the World Cup in 1994, Nigeria were a minute and forty five seconds away from qualifying for the quarterfinals, only for Roberto Baggio to equalize, before grabbing his brace in extra-time which knocked the then African champions out of the competition.
The Super Eagles also qualified for the second round in 1998 and 2014.
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