Etim Esin Berates Current Super Eagles Players, Reveals Why Ghana Black Stars Are Doing Better

• Etim Esin has had his say about the Super Eagles' poor performance in recent times
• He has compared the Nigerian team to the Black Stars, who he says perform better
• The Black Stars narrowly lost 3-2 to Portugal in their World Cup group stage opener
• Esin believes Ghanaian players are hungry to win unlike their African compatriots

Former Nigerian international Etim Esin has revealed why Ghanaian players are doing well with their national football team.

Ghana edged out Nigeria to the World Cup ticket, and they showed their intent in their opening match at the global showpiece despite losing 3-2 to Portugal.

Etim emphasised that the Black Stars are hungry to make an impact, as their level of patriotism is on a superior level to their Nigerian counterparts.

Barely three days before the kick-off of the World Cup, Portugal thrashed Nigeria 4-0 and dominated the encounter from start to finish, even though it was a friendly.

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Esin lauded the performance against the Selecao of the Black Stars by comparison, who narrowly missed out on getting a point.

Esin told Brila FM, as per Complete Sports:

“Kudos to players of the Black Stars for their performance against Portugal. They really tried, because it is not easy to score against a side like Portugal, especially with the calibre of players they parade."

Esin said he could not say the same of the Super Eagles team, who he says play as if to avoid injury compared to Ghanaians who are 'ready to die wearing their jerseys'.

“For me, the Super Eagles players lack the desire and patriotism of the Ghanaian players... We saw how they fared against Portugal; if not for one or two mistakes and Cristiano Ronaldo’s experience in helping his side get a penalty.”

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Controversy trails Portugal’s Ghana victory

Sports Brief also reported on the outrage from African football fans, who questioned the refereeing decisions in Ghana's opening group stage game against Portugal.

Ghana faced the Selecao at the World Cup for a second time, following a 2014 encounter in Brazil which was won by Cristiano Ronaldo and team.

In this year's edition of the Mundial, Portugal won but many fans believe the Black Stars were robbed of a chance at victory by the match officials.