Former Super Eagles midfielder, Garba Lawal has stated that Nigeria’s second Group D match against Iceland on Friday will be tougher than the game against Croatia.
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According to Lawal, the Iceland team are very more compact and organised than the Croats.
Lawal, who played in the 1998 World Cup, however said Gernot Rohr’s men need to put their 2-0 loss to Croatia behind them and begin preparations for their second match against Iceland.
“The Eagles tried their best but it was not enough against a more experienced Croatian side. The match has been played and lost, so we shouldn’t be dwelling much on it,” Lawal told Punch.
“Losing against Croatia doesn’t mean that the Eagles are out of the World Cup, it only means that they have to do more to qualify from a group that is tough. What we see in the match is football – you win, lose draw some.
“But I will expect the team to begin preparations for the Iceland match because that will be tougher than what we saw against Croatia. The Iceland team is more compact and organised and as such, they will be very difficult to play against.
“What they did against Argentina is a pointer to the fact that they are very deadly and dangerous, so the Eagles need to be aware of this. If not that they were unlucky; they would have won the game.
“The Eagles need to step up their game and go for the best they can get against Iceland if they want to leave the group. It will be difficult but the Eagles can get the job done if they correct the lapses noticed on Saturday.”
