Eagles striker, Obafemi Martins has showered praises on Calabar fans for the undivided support they handed the Eagles during their Nations Cup qualifier against Madagascar at the U.J Esuene Stadium.

However, the player expressed regrets over the injuries sustained by some of the fans during a stampede at the end of the game.

Obafemi who scored the first goal of the game and made the other, noted that the supporters in Calabar made the Eagles to start well in the game. “Despite the low score we played well and it was down to the fans in Calabar. It wasn’t an easy game, we should bear in mind that there are no small teams anymore,” said Obafemi.

He urged Nigerian fans to be patient with the Eagles as the team is still rebuilding, after the poor outing at the South African 2010 World Cup.

Over 35,000 fans crowded the 25,000 capacity UJ Esuene stadium and at the end of the game 10 fans were injured as they tried to leave the stadium in a hurry. About 2000 security operatives were on hand to ensure that there event was went without an accident.