Alimi Sikiru labelled Nigeria’s 2020 African Nations Championship (Chan) miss as “unfortunate” after they defeated Togo 2-0 in the second round, second leg fixture on Saturday.
The forward scored a goal in each half as the Sparrow Hawks’ wings got clipped at the Agege Stadium in Lagos.
A 4-1 first-leg defeat at Stade de Kegue ensured aggregate scores stood at 4-3, thus denying Imama Amapakabo’s men a place in the tournament billed for Cameroon.
But Alimi insisted the Super Eagles deserved better than to miss out of Chan for the first time since 2011.
“It feels really great scoring two goals against Togo, at the same time it’s disappointing not qualifying for Chan 2020,” he told Goal.
“We put in our best, we did everything right, we executed our coaches’ tactics but we were just unfortunate not to make the championship.
“The competition could have been a great platform for us – the Nigeria Professional Football League players to showcase our talent before the entire world.
“However, we have missed that chance and we will return to our respective clubs to prepare for league resumption.”
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