Posted by Leon Balogun, a Nigerian international defender, has admitted that on the day Ghana denied Nigeria a chance to advance to the 2022 World Cup, he choked back tears as he drove to the Abuja Stadium.
Nigeria lost the spot to their West African neighbors, and as a result, did not make it to the World Cup in Qatar.
In Kumasi, they played to a scoreless draw, and in Abuja, at the Moshood Abiola Stadium, they played to a 1-1 draw.
According to Balogun, the National Team's fans showed overwhelmingly strong support for the players, making the 1-1 draw a difficult result to accept.
Balogun said in an interview with The Beautiful Game Podcast, “On the way to the stadium that day, I had to fight back tears because I had been moved by the support.
I've played in front of a lot of people, and while I don't mean to disparage other stadiums where the national team has played, Abuja that day was packed.
“I observed young children, girls, families, and senior citizens supporting us. The stadium was incredibly full, and I told myself that we had to win just for them.
“Obviously, it was heartbreaking when we gave up that first goal. It was a tough one to take, and when they responded with a penalty, we weren't able to simply overwhelm them.”