Togo coach praises team

Patrice Citera
BBC Sport, Kinshasa

I don't have enough words to express my joy but I dedicate this victory to my late father Togo coach Stephen Keshi

Togo's coach has attributed their maiden World Cup qualification to the dedication of his players to his training programme.

"I thank my players for making me feel like the greatest coach on earth," Stephen Keshi told BBC Sport after their 3-2 victory over Congo in Brazzaville.

"My goal has always been to take them to the World Cup because I knew there's a lot of potential here, even though they would have been happy with qualifying for the Cup of Nations.

"I don't have enough words to express my joy but I dedicate this victory to my late father, who passed away just before our home qualifier against Liberia," Keshi said.

The former Nigeria captain - who led the Super Eagles to their first World Cup finals in 1994 - said his second trip to football's most prestigious event will be as memorable as his first.

Keshi, who took over the Hawks after the 2004 African Cup of Nations in Tunisia, said his players coped with the radical changes he has made to the national team.

"We were on the bottom of the table when we started the qualifiers and the players had to make a 90-degree turn to adapt to what I wanted them to do.

"I had to let them know that they are good players but it was up to me as the coach to put them in the right frame of mind and ensure that they believed in themselves."

But Keshi's joy at leading Togo to the World Cup was dampened by Nigeria's failure to qualify.

"I feel sad to see Nigeria out of the World Cup. No matter where I go or what I do, my blood is still Nigerian.

"I've spent my whole life with the Nigerian national team, so there is a bond that cannot be broken.

"If we can beat Zimbabwe and are unable to go the World Cup, there's something wrong.

"I hope Nigerians can look at what's wrong and correct the problems," he said.