President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed delight at the resilience of the Nigeria U-23 team that saw them pulled a 5-4 win over Japan in the Olympic opener.
The team arrived Manaus from their training camp five hours before the encounter against the Blue Samurai due to a mix up in payment for their chartered flight.
With football analysts writing off their chances, the Samson Siasia-led team dug deep to overcome jet lag and put up an exciting display.
Expressing his delight at the football played by the country, President Buhari said, “On behalf of the government and people of our great country, I wish to express my support to our athletes who have arrived in Rio for the 2016 Olympic Games.
“I am particularly delighted by the outcome of the football match early this morning (Friday) in which our football team defeated their Japanese counterparts.
“The sweetness of the victory comes from the fact that it came against all odds. Our team overcame several challenges to put up a sterling performance. This is a good beginning.”
