Vincent Enyeama says he will be delighted if Lille OSC can land the Coupe de la Ligue this year.
Lille progressed to the last four of the competition after overcoming En Avant Guingamp 4-2 on penalties with Enyeama saving two of the hosts’ spot kicks.
He told the club’s official television station afterwards that God was his inspiration for saving from 12 yards.
“God is my secret for saving penalties. It will make me pleased if we can win the trophy.
“I believe in God and it will be a dream to play at the Stade de France,” he said.
Former Nigerian captain, Enyeama was the hero of the hour as his superlative displays helped Lille OSC progress to the round of the Coupe de la Ligue on Wednesday.
Enyeama was called into action as early as the seventh minute of the quarterfinal fixture but he saved well from Yannis Salibur at a frenzied Stade du Roudourou.
The Nigerian goalkeeper then produced a stunning double save, the second off a fierce Jimmy Briand drive in the 22nd minute to keep the score at 0-0.
Guingamp’s Marcus Coco thought he had scored in the 40th minute but Enyeama showed unusual courage, literally putting his body on the line, to save at the feet of the forward.
The same script continued to play out in the second half with Enyeama impressively stopping Salibur’s free kick in the 51st minute with the effort seemingly destined for the top right hand corner.
He saved his best displays for last during a tense shootout after extra time failed to produce any goal.
The 33-year-old stopped Guingamp’s second and fourth kicks from Nicolas Benezet and Dorian Lévêque respectively as Lille progressed to the last four of the competition on a 4-2 score.
Predictably, Enyeama received the plaudits at full time with Lille head coach Frederic Antonetti the first to offer kind words the way of the former Super Eagles captain.
“In the first period, Vincent (Enyeama) kept us in the game,” Antonetti told the club’s official website, www.losc.fr.
Lille defender Benjamin Pavard added his words of praise for the Nigerian.
“This result is essentially (created by) Vincent Enyeama.
“He was huge, as always. Frankly, I’ve never seen a goalkeeper play at a level as this. He was impressive,” Pavard said.
Lille will now meet Girondins Bordeaux in the semifinals of the competition on January 26.
