Super Eagles defender Ola Aina is delighted to provide the assist which led to the team’s 1-0 win in Saturday’s AFCON 2019 Group B match against the Swallows of Burundi, Completesports.com reports.
Aina, who made the starting line-up because regular left-back Jamilu Collins was injured, threaded a sublime back-heeled pass to substitute Odion Ighalo to score the solitary winner at the Alexandria Stadium.
Before the goal, the Burundians who were playing their first ever game in the AFCON finals put a brave fight and carved out a number of chances in the first half.
”The run from Ighalo was there for me and with the way Burundi were lined up I had to resort to threading the pass with my heel and it came out correctly. It’s about trying to work out something for the good of the team, I’m happy it came off and worked for us,” Aina told reporters at Super Eagles’ base in Alexandria.
Aina who was dropped from Nigeria’s squad to the 2019 FIFA World Cup in Russia looks set to keep his place in the team against Guinea.
The Super Eagles will face the Syli Nationale of Guinea in their next game at the Alexandria Stadium on Wednesday.
The kick-off is 3.30pm Nigerian time.
By Adeboye Amosu
