TheCable

Tammy Danagogo, Nigeria’s minister of sports, has not recovered from the loss of the Super Eagles to Sudan in Saturday’s 2015 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers.

The Falcons of Sudan defeated the Super Eagles 1-0 in Khartoum on Saturday, shattering a 47-year spell during which the Eagles had never lost to the northeastern African country.

The result of the match placed the Eagles at the bottom of its group, with South Africa leading the group with seven points, Congo six points, and Sudan three points.

Danagogo told the media that he was pained that Nigeria lost to Sudan for the first time since 1967.

“I am trying to overcome that loss; it was a shocking defeat and indeed I was really pained; Nigeria was pained too,” he said.

“But as sportsmen, we know that when you go into the field, it’s either you win or you lose, so it has happened. We are trying to see how we can move forward from there.”

He expressed optimism that the Eagles would turn the table around, judging from the criticisms they faced after the loss.

He wondered why the country, which is the AFCON defending champions, should be struggling to qualify from a group comprising locally-based national teams.