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Super Eagles midfielder Alex Iwobi has shared his joy and decision-making process behind scoring Fulham’s decisive goal in their 2-1 win over newly promoted Leicester City.
Leicester, with Wilfred Ndidi, was handed a defeat by Fulham in their second game of the season after a draw with Tottenham in their opening match.
Playing their first home match, Fulham featuring Iwobi and Calvin Bassey, battled hard for a win after losing their season opener to Manchester United.
Speaking to FFCTV, Iwobi said, “We were proud of our performance against United but we didn’t get the result we wanted, so it was only right we get our first three points at home and there’s no better feeling.
“The main message was to start on the front foot and I believe that we did, especially in the first thirty minutes, we were dominating the game in my opinion.”
“We were disappointed to concede the goal in the way that we did because set pieces are something we work on a lot, but the main thing was to get the three points – to stay resilient and strong in the end.
“The manager said at halftime to keep playing the way we started the game, keep applying the pressure the way we did and that’s why we were able to get the second goal.”
The former Arsenal player also discussed how they had practised the moves in training and the internal conflict he faced while making his decision.
“It’s something we’ve worked on in training and when the right back pushed on to press Jedi, he had to play it the first time and I just had to stay onside. Luckily for me, there was no one in the way as to the goal, so I was able to go towards the goal and remain composed.
“I had a lot of time – it felt like I was running for ages, I was thinking, ‘Do I square it?’ but I just thought, ‘I’m in front of goal, I might as well go with my weak foot’ and luckily for me, it went in.”
“It was important that we were able to see the game out. We know what Leicester are like; they have a lot of threats going forward.
“We made some changes that brought new dynamics to the game but were able to close the game out and get the three points ahead of a busy week.”
With the AFCON qualifiers fast approaching, Alex Iwobi is undoubtedly a player Nigeria would count on in their encounter with Rwanda and Benin.
Alex Iwobi. (Photo by Joao Rico/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)
