World Cup: Our First Match against Croatia a Must Win.... Mikel Obi Assures Nigeria

....Hopes Super Eagles will go past the Second Round By Niyi Busari Super Eagles captain Mikel Obi has admitted that the Super Eagles are drawn in a tough group, thus believe that they must win their first match against Croatia in the Group D match-day 1 at the Kaliningrad stadium if they must surpass the previous Super Eagles record of second round exit at the tournament. He stated further that it is important that Nigeria win the first game as that we not only boost their morale but also guarantee their group qualification, though subject to their subsequent results in the next two matches. He said: "We are in a difficult group and it is going to be tough to come out from the group. It is important that we win our first match against Croatia and also we want to go past the round of 16. At the world cup we want to do well than our previous performance at the mundial. So, it is a must for us to win the first game if we want to achieve this feat. We have to play together, do what the coach asks us to do on and off the field." He added that Nigeria like other serious countries at the world stand a good chance of having a good outing. "If we want to achieve our objective at the world cup, we must be together, do exactly what the coach asks us to do on and off the pitch. We have a very good chance as other serious countries that aim to go far at the tournament." The first Nigeria match at the Russia 2018 world cup against Croatia is scheduled for 16th June by 8pm Nigerian time.