General secretary of the Nigeria Football Federation, Barrister Musa Amadu has said that the Super Eagles must do everything to beat Iran in their first match of the World Cup to have any hope of progressing in the competition.

The scribe also described last weekend’s defeat to the United States in a friendly as a blessing in disguise that will enable the team prepare harder for their first match against the Asian representatives.

“We must beat Iran in the first match which to me is the important match to play. A victory against Iran will pave way for more successes in the subsequent games. I am confident that the boys are capable of doing it,” Amadu said.

“I think [the 2-1 loss to the USA] is better the way it happened because if we had won all our three friendly matches we would have thought we have arrived.

“I am happy that it happened like that. We had two draws and a loss in the three matches the team has played.

“We are not bothered by Iran and our other opponents. It is not the number of friendly matches you win going to the World Cup that will determine your performance in the World Cup.

“There are teams that won all their friendly matches before going to the World Cup and did not last the first round of the competition.

“We will go to Brazil with great spirit. The loss against the Americans will let us know that the job is not yet done. There are lessons to be learnt in the three matches most especially the match against USA which would help the coach to correct these lapses before we start playing the World Cup.

“I remember Bulgaria in 1994 World Cup in the United States of America, prior to the competition they lost all tune up matches and lost their previous 13 matches and even lost 3-0 to Nigeria but ended up being the fourth best in the world. So the most important thing is preparations for the competition and what you have been able to do during that period.”