Nigeria ended a 19-year wait to regain the African Nations Cup when a stunning goal from forward Sunday Mba gave them a 1-0 win over Burkina Faso in a final the Super Eagles deserved to win at Soccer City on Sunday.
Here is what Paul Hamilton the former Nigerian manager said:
"The Super Eagles deserved the victory, they worked for it. (It was) a great game and great victory to a fantastic side.
"I may not have seen the final victory coming from the start of the competition but after the quarterfinals victory against Cote d'Ivoire you could feel it. There was a sudden change in players' attitude that makes you feel the side is on the verge of making history.
"I give kudos to the players for sustaining the tempo till the last game, they actually made the difference," said the former Nigerian player to supersport.com.
Hamilton would want the winning mentality sustained as we head to the World Cup qualifying matches.
"It's not yet uhuru. We should build from this huge success into the World Cup preparations. We should continue the build-up as more will be demanded from the team from this stage to next heights," he said.
Hamilton said the biggest revelation of the Eagles' Afcon victory is the input of the home-based players.
"The players proved their worth and once again confirmed they're the basis for the league we run at the moment. If we don't use them in major competitions then the league is dead.
"This is a challenge to the NPL to put their house in order as great players still abound in the league. They proved themselves to be great players," said the former Super Falcons' manager.
Hamilton commended Eagles' manager, Stephen Keshi as a great coach.
"A great player and coach. Kudos to him for this sweet victory. Any coach would have lost his cool at the face of criticism but he kept his cool and carried on in the best professional stride. He's a great man," he enthused.
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