Super Eagles’ midfielder, John Obi Mikel, has bemoaned Iran’s defensive style in their scoreless draw on Monday at the ongoing Brazil 2014 World Cup.
“We looked for the win, but Iran knew what we wanted to do and put 11 men behind the ball. They managed to stop us from playing our game,” the 27-year-old midfielder lamented.
Mikel now believes that the Nigerians cannot afford to drop any more points if they want to reach the second round of the tournament.
“Naturally we’re disappointed because we know what it means to win your opening match at the World Cup,” he told FIFA.com.
He added: “We thought we had a good chance of winning. We created some openings in the first half and I think we deserved to score. Iran kept us at bay, though, and they were well organised at the back.
“We need to raise our game if we want to reach the next round. We prepared very well for this World Cup and we can’t afford to drop another point in our remaining games.”
Nigeria returns to action on Saturday when they face Bosnia-Herzegovina.