Emma Jemegah, Cairo
Super Eagles striker and one of the leading scorers in the competition, Odion Ighalo said he was effectively marked out by the South African defenders but happy that it allowed other players to do the damage.
The striker said he was not surprised because the South African coach had earlier promised to ensure he didn’t have the opportunity to score in the match.
“At the press conference before the match, the South African coach said he will find a way to check me from scoring and that’s exactly what he did.
“You will notice that at any point in time about three to four players were on me. Apart from close-marking me, they also made sure no direct supply came to me. But that also created chances for other players to strike. It’s a collective thing not Ighalo. If you concentrate all your strategies on how to stop me, you get punished by other players.
“As I said, I’m not going to sacrifice the overall interest of the team, which winning the trophy for an individual award. Winning the top scorer award is good but nothing compares to the team winning the trophy,” he said.