A game of sweat and blood

During half-time, facing his players, Eric Chelle paced up and down, rubbing his sweaty palms together as the pressure already got to him.

Afterall, his job was on the line here.

"Come on guys!" He clapped his hands. "We have to win!"

"And to win, we have to score a goal". It was clear from the look on his face that he was desperate for his team to win today.

"Come on guys, we can do it!"

He said a few more words to motivate his players and after 10 minutes, they had no choice but to come out into the pitch and meet the Lesotho resistance again.

This game was grueling, not just physically but mentally.

Playing in away ground was not easy, and it was even more crazy when playing internationally as the will of a nation was packed into it.

But then again, the Nigerian players were resilient, motivated by a singular purpose. 'We can't afford to lose!'

'We can't afford to lose oh!'