Nigeria Under-23 striker Taiwo Awoniyi believes the team is capable of impressive feats at the Olympic Games under the tutelage of coach Samson Siasia.
The African U23 champions have been drawn in the same group with Sweden, Japan and Colombia at Rio 2016 but the FSV Frankfurt forward is confident that the coach would fashion out a victorious plan.
“I am not sing-praising anybody, I am just being realistic. I have played under coach Siasia for some time now and he has this great quality of pushing players to do what such player never believed they can do in their life,” Awoniyi told Goal.
“People won’t know what happened in Senegal where we not only qualified for the Olympics but also emerged African U23 Cup of Nations champions.
“We won that competition because of coach Siasia and he made sure we forgot our problems and faced the task before us.
“So I don’t think there is anything to fear at the Olympics since he is in charge. I can as well call him a magician,” he disclosed.
The striker has been included in the team that will play in a four-nation tournament in South Korea later this month against the hosts, Denmark and Honduras, all teams that will play at the Olympics.
“Right now I am working on how to get the South Korean visa for the four-nation tournament. I am sure we are not going there to make up the numbers because I heard that the teams playing in the tournament have also qualified for the Olympics,” he said.
“It is going to be very tough but I am confident of our team. We won’t disappoint football loving Nigerians.”
