“It’s the only thing we have to leave here with and we are determined to compensate Nigerians with a third-place finish,” the Enugu Rangers winger said.
Uzoenyi almost passed out when Ghanaian defender Kwabina Adusei, elbowed him around his neck leading to a minor concoction mid-way into the first half of the CHAN semi-final in Bloemfontein, South Africa.
The medical staff described Uzoenyi’s condition at the time as Cortica Artery seizure, noting that it took quite a while to get his pulse back from the leg region.
“It was scary but we thank God, it didn’t degenerate more than that and the player’s recovery rate was phenomenal”, one of the medical official attached to the team noted.
Uzoenyi said: “That player wanted to kill me with that vicious elbow and I was blank and did not know where I was until I started hearing noises, but I was determined to continue that was why I was rushing back to the pitch.
“But I think it was God that saved my life because some lesser cases have resulted in fatalities”.
Meanwhile, Nigeria sports minister Bolaji Abdulahi has fulfilled his cash promise to the team by doling out the sum of $200,000 for their victory against Morocco and the loss to Ghana.
Abdulahi had promised to give the team $100,000 if they beat Morocco in the quarter final and Ghana in the semi final, but the Eagles won against Morocco and lost to Ghana via penalties.
The minister who was in company of NFF president Aminu Maigari, technical committee chairman, Chris Green, and the Senate Committee Chairman on Sports, Adamu Gumba praised the leadership of the NFF and the technical crew for raising a team that has made Nigerians proud at CHAN.
He also urged the team to go ahead and win the third-place match against Zimbabwe on Saturday, assuring they will be rewarded by the government for doing so.
NFF boss Maigari, who himself personally doled out $10,000 to the team before the Ghana game on Wednesday, assured the minister that the team will get better.
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