The reason why we loss to South Africa – Keshi opens up

Nigeria coach Stephen Keshi believes his players only have themselves to blame after failing to qualify for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations. The Super Eagles will not be present to defend their continental crown at next year’s Equatorial Guinea showpiece after Wednesday’s 2-2 draw against South Africa proved insufficient in terms of qualification from Group A.

That honour instead went to Bafana Bafana, who finished as group winners, and Congo, who saw off Sudan 1-0 in a simultaneous kick-off.

Speaking after the game, Keshi bluntly said: “Maybe we took South Africa for granted and we paid dearly for this.”

Meanwhile, former Nigeria captain Segun Odegbami expressed his dismay at the team’s failure to qualify, saying: “I’m numbed with shock we are not going to the Nations Cup.

“We have always taken South Africa for granted, believing we can take them for breakfast, lunch and dinner, but they have now shown us that this is an end of era.”