AFCON: Eguavoen warns Super Eagles against complacency

image

BY ABUBAKAR H. MUHAMMAD, JANUARY 16, 2022 | 08:27 PM


Super Eagles interim coach Augustine Eguavoen has warned his players against complacency and taking their chances in front of goal in subsequent matches of the 2021 AFCON in Cameroon.

The coach said this at a press conference after Nigeria booked a spot in the second round with a comfortable 3-1 win over their hapless Sudanese counterpart.

Eguavoen, however, said the team did not play at the same high tempo, especially in the second half and that gave the Sudanese the comeback for the consoletry goal.

“No game comes easy, We knew it was going to be tough and tried as much as possible to be ready for any opponent that comes our way.

“So it’s a little bit difficult to say whether we were complacent in the Sudan game or not but we will discuss this with the boys going forward,” he said.

The coach also stressed on the need for the team to always take their chances in front of goal and defend as a unit to avoid unnecessary pressure and conceding cheap goals.

“I think we are strong enough with our bench but sometimes scoring goals is abit of problem, we waste chances in front of goal.

”Against Egypt we missed a couple of seaters, against Sudan also, so that was what gave the Sudanese hope that they can survive, it’s a threat, so we need to work on this,” he said.

The coach, however, assured of making some changes in the final group match against Guinea-Bissau on Wednesday, so as to give players who have not tested action some game time.

“Obviously, we will make changes for the last group game against Guinea-Bissau.

“We have depth in the team and it’s a good opportunity for the other players to play, we will play to win the game and I trust the players to do a great job,” he added.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Nigeria currently top group D with six points from their opening two games, after beating Egypt and Sudan.

Egypt are second with three points, while Sudan and Guinea-Bissau have one point each.

The Super Eagles will take on Guinea-Bissau on Wednesday in their last group match.

NAN


Appeal for support


Conflict Reporting is dangerous and risky. Our reporters constantly face life-threatening challenges, sometimes surviving ambushes, kidnap attempts and attacks by the whiskers as they travel and go into communities to get authentic and firsthand information. But we dare it every day, nonetheless, in order to keep you informed of the true situation of the victims, the trends in the conflicts and ultimately help in peace building processes. But these come at huge cost to us. We are therefore appealing to you to help our cause by donating to us through any of the following means. You can also donate working tools, which are even more primary to our work. We thank you sincerely as you help our cause.

Alternatively, you can also email us on info@yen.ng or message us
via +234 803 931 7767