Peter Odemwingie has admitted that the three points Nigeria earned against Bosnia and Herzegovina is “one of the hardest” in his football career.
The Stoke City man swept home the winning goal just half an hour into the match from Emmanuel Emenike’s low cross to secure the first full points for the African champions at the FIFA World Cup Finals in Brazil.
It was Nigeria’s first win in a World Cup match in 16 years and it took 10 matches to achieve that. Odemwingie said he was excited with ending that long wait.
“We have waited so long for this victory. I’m so happy for the country, our fans, the team. It was maybe one of the hardest three points in my career, though,” Odemwingie told Fifa.com after the match.
Odemwingie also spoke about two key members of the Bosnian team, Emir Spahic and goalkeeper Asmir Begovic.
Spahic was a teammate of Odemwingie while he played for Lokomotiv Moscow and Begovic is Stoke City’s number one.
“[Laughs] No, I don’t think so, as saving shots from close distance is one of the stronger sides of his [Begovic’s] game.
“He is a great guy. He knows I have a good shot and I tried to shoot a few times today. I’m sure he is going to tell me off when I get back to Stoke [laughs].
“I had to do it for my country but I was so happy to see him on this stage and I exchanged shirts with him at the end of the game,” said Odemwingie about his Stoke City teammate, Begovic.
He had this to say about the Bosnia captain, Spahic: “I was happy to see him. We played together for about two or three good seasons so, seeing your mates coming into this World Cup Finals, especially with him as a captain, I can only be proud to say that they are my friends.
“I only told my teammates that [Spahic] is very dangerous with his head. He is not so tall but you should be careful as he can score with his head.”
The former Cardiff City and West Bromwich Albion striker believed he deserved a starting place against the Dragons.
He added that he is now looking forward to the game against Argentina on Wednesday after the hard work that secured a win over the Europeans on Saturday.
“I earned myself a starting position and it was important to work hard today to keep it, especially before a big game like Argentina, which is a dream for every player to play in,” said Odemwingie.