Nigerian and Chelsea midfielder John Mikel Obi has attri buted the Super Eagles' 2-0 victory against Benin in their last group B match at

the 26th Africa Cup of Nations in Sekondi, Ghana, on Tuesday to a combination of hard work and massive prayers by the players.

Speaking after the match, Obi said the players realised they had to live up to t he expectation of their compatriots back home, especially as they knew they had b een abandoned by many of their fans after they failed to score in the two previo u s matches against Cote d'Ivoire and Mali.

"After the disappointing goalless draw against Mali, we knew that our chance wou ld be partly by our own strength and the rest to our foe from Cote d' Ivoire,'' s aid Obi, whose 52nd minute goal shot the Super Eagles to the lead against the Sq u irrels of Benin.

''It is not an easy task, considering the fact that all those who stood by us in the beginning have abandoned us midstream, because we failed to raise our game.

"However, this morning, our in-house pastor, (Goalkeeper) Austin Ejide prayed fo r divine favour from God and he instructed all of us to make that our prayer poi n t and we all complied,'' he said.

He said the news of Cote d'Ivoire's goal against Mali also fired up the Eagles' determination, since the Nigerians needed Cote d'Ivoire to beat Mali, in additio n to them beating Benin, to be sure of advancing to the quarter-finals.

Looking ahead, he said the match against hosts Ghana would be ''50-50'' as it co uld go either way.