As part of the last round of the CHAN Algeria 2023 qualifiers, the former captain of the Sparrowhawks of Togo, Emmanuel Sheyi Adebayor sent a message to his compatriots on Friday, August 26, 2022.
The Togolese football legend paid a visit to his younger brothers this Friday, two days before the decisive match against Niger.
He gave wise advice to the latter before this first leg against Mena A’ on Sunday at the Stade de Kégué (4 p.m. GMT).
“I came just to motivate them and share the little experience I had in my career with them. I see them very motivated, they want to do something and that touches me enormously”, Adebayor firstly said after his visit.
“The first fifteen minutes of a match are very important, which is why they have to focus on the first duels, passes, corners and free kicks. It doesn’t matter if it’s 0-0 or 3-0, they have to stay focused until the end of the game. This is what makes the difference in top-level football. The great matches are always played on details. Either on a quickly executed free kick, a ball to the hand or other things. As soon as you lose a minute of concentration, you penalize your team. But they are big boys and I hope they understood what I told them. It is now up to them to give us pleasure and it is up to us to support them,” he added.
The Togolese’ last training session before the match against Niger took place on Saturday at the Stade de Kégué, Lomé at 6 p.m.
Source: AfrikPage