Arsenal striker, Alexander Iwobi struck the final nail that snuffed life out of Zambia’s 2018 FIFA World Cup dream weekend at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium and immediately burst into his trademark celebration style that got fans rocking in wild jubilation.
ALMLY . . . Nigeria’s forward Alex Iwobi (L) controls the ball ahead of Zambia’s midfielder Simon Silwimba during their match at the weekend.
Iwobi, introduced into the game in the second half by manager Gernot Rohr in place of Moses Simon, looked every inch a prince in the shinning armour as he had just given Nigerians a befitting 57th birthday gift in form of a ticket to play in the greatest sporting event in the world next year and was expectedly revelling in the moment.
For a player who has blood link with former Eagles captain and African legend, Austin Okocha, Iwobi is surely writing his own script in Nigerian football history, with his winning goal against Zambia.
And speaking to scores of excited fans, Iwobi said that he was fulfilled to be part of the World Cup qualifying class of 2017 that guaranteed Nigeria a sixth appearance at the World Cup, with the added incentive of being the first to qualify from Africa.
Iwobi said, “I am obviously lost for words as I feel transfixed, emotional, excited and subdued by the fact that we have qualified for the World Cup in Russia. This is a great moment for us and we are obviously loving this special moment”.
“I grew up playing football, loving the game, it’s actually my first love and always dreamt of playing at the World Cup and I am so grateful to God that the dream I had growing up has finally become a reality”, added Iwobi.
