Shooting Stars duo of Ayobami Junior and Tijani Al-ameen have reacted to their recent Super Eagles invites for the Unity Cup tournament in London, www.aclsports.com reports.
Ayobami and Al-ameen have been excellent in the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) this season, with outstanding performances for the Oluyole Warriors.
Ayobami, who plays as a midfielder for the Ibadan club, has the most assists in the top-flight and was among the NPFL stars called up by Eric Chelle for this month’s tournament in the UK.
”It was a fantastic moment for me, and I am so proud of it. Denial every time is a bit frustrating, and when I got this invite, I said delay is not denial. It is every player’s dream to represent their country. It was a fantastic moment for me,” said Ayobami to his club’s media before heading to the Super Eagles camp.
Meanwhile, defender Al-ameen, who made his NPFL debut for Shooting Stars last year, was a late call-up to the squad after some players pulled out due to injuries.
”I was very happy about the call-up, and I did not even know who to call first. It is the biggest thing I have been hoping for for long. Now that I have got it, I am happy, and it means so much to me,” Al-ameen said in his reaction to the invitation.
The duo are part of the early birds in the camp and will take part in the team’s first training session on Saturday evening. Consequently, they will miss Shooting Stars’ final NPFL game of the season at Niger Tornadoes on Sunday.
Nigeria will face Zimbabwe in the first semi-final of the four-team tournament on March 26. Jamaica and India will trade tackles in the second semifinal match the following day. The winners of the two semifinal matches will then square off in the final on March 30, while the losers play in a third-place match on the same day at The Valley, home to Charlton Athletic FC.
