Keshi eyes Ethiopia with caution
by George Akpayen 22 January 2013, 15:35
Nigeria head coach, Stephen Keshi has refused to wave off the threat of Ethiopia at the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa.
The Ethiopians with 10 men forced African champions, Zambia to a stunning 1-1 in Group C's opening game on Monday and Keshi believes that it will be wrong to brand Sewnet Bishaw's men as a "weak" team.
He stated that the Walyans of Ethiopia showed why they qualified for the Afcon this year with their performance against Zambia's Chipolopolo.
The former Mali and Togo manager also made it clear that Monday's results in Group C underscore that his team are up against strong opponents.
"There are no weak teams here, and Ethiopia showed that they deserve to be at the competition. The group is a strong one," said Keshi.
However, Keshi is mindful of the pressure of progressing to the last eight after Monday's results and is focused on the game against Zambia.
"The next game against Zambia is very important. We will put behind us the Burkina Faso game," said the Nigerian coach.
Nigeria's Super Eagles were held to 1-1 draw by the Stallions of Burkina Faso in Nelspruit on Monday.
The Nigerians will go up against their Zambian counterparts this Friday.
