Interim coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Austine Eguavoen says he was quoted out of context on the performance of Almeria striker Sadiq Umar.

The coach was quoted as saying that the Almeria striker doesn’t play to instructions after underperforming in his second appearance as a substitute at the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon.

Sadiq was introduced in the second half of Nigeria’s 3-1 win over Sudan just as he was as in the 1-0 win over Egypt. Eguavoen said he is a striker who will come good with time as he is still adapting to how he wants the team to play.

” I didn’t mean he doesn’t play to instructions. He is a cool, talented player who is yet to understand how I want the team to play. He is new to African football as he has played all of his football in Europe. When his adaptation is over he will bang goals for fun”, Eguavoen told OwnGoalNigeria.com.

Last season the 24 year old finished as top scorer in the Spanish second division with 20 goals from 40 games aside the six goals he scored at Partizan Belgrade before his move on transfer deadline day last season.

Already he has 8 goals this season from 19 games with Almeria aiming to secure promotion to the top flight where Sadiq is courted by several teams.

The former coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Gernot Rohr says he is excited for Moses Simon who has been one of the best players for Nigeria in the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations.

Simon picked up a goal and an assist yesterday as Nigeria secure passage to the round of 16 with a 3-1 win over Sudan. Their second consecutive win of the tournament after their 1-0 win over Egypt.

The coach was underfire for sticking with the Nantes winger all through the qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup where he started in very game as Nigeira secured a spot in the play off of the qualifying series.

Rohr speaking on Canal+ where he is doing punditry for the Africa Cup of Nations said Simon wasn’t the most loved player in the team until recently but he has never doubted the 26 year old.

” When I was coach, a lot of people wanted me to drop him but he is very important to my team. He puts the team first and play for all with ease. I love his attitude on the pitch and he is a perfect gentleman off the pitch. I never doubted him”, Rohr said after Simon was handed the man of the match award yesterday.

Coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Austine Eguavoen says Almeria forward Sadiq Umar is guilty of not playing according to instructions after another unimpressive performance at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Just as it was for Nigeria in their 1-0 win over Egypt, Sadiq was introduced as a second half substitute for Taiwo Awoniyi with Nigeria leading 3-1. He didn’t do enough to justify his introduction, same like it was in the first game.

It led to suggestions about the coach not making the right substitution but Eguavoen was quick to play it down insisting that it is a case of Umar not playing to instructions.

“Substitution yes has been spot on, you can see Awoniyi the lone striker, of course, Iheanacho behind him, he was tired,” he told his post-match press conference on Saturday.

“It was necessary for us to bring in fresh legs, but the instruction given to the player [Sadiq] that comes in is a little bit different from what he goes in there and does so makes it a bit difficult.

“I think we have a bench rich enough to pull us through”.

Interim coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Austine Eguavoen has explained why Kelechi Nwakali isn’t starring games yet at the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon.

Nwakali has made two substitute appearances so far for the Nigerian team who are through to the round of 16 of the tournament following yesterday’s 3-1 win over Sudan.

Eguavoen was asked about the performance of Nwakali and he called for patience as he believe the Huesca midfielder is still trying to find his feet in the team.

For now he is sticking with Joe Aribo who has good chemistry with Wilfred Ndidi due to the fact that they have played together for a sustained as period of time.

“More patience I’d say. He has been a fringe player in and out of the team now we have given him all the confidence to come in and not to start the game because Aribo is being there, good understanding with the team and with Ndidi in the middle of the park”, Eguavoen explained.

“Ndidi actually hasn’t played with Kelechi so it’s a little bit difficult to just change the team’s formation so that’s what it is.

“Kelechi we all know is a good player, we expect more than this from him. When he settles down you can see better football from him. He didn’t do that badly and when you lack match rhythm it also affects but I think he performed well.”

The senior national team of Nigeria secured passage into the round of 16 in the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations with a 3-1 win over Sudan in their second game.

OwnGoalNigeria.com rates the players on parade for Nigeria in the encounter

Maduka Okoye – Didn’t have anything serious to do. Was on holiday but did disappoint with some of his balls out of defence. Almost messed up a simple catch but redeemed himself…..6/10

Kenneth Omeruo – Hit some wayward passes but very comfortable under pressure. Has been the surprise in the Nigerian team considering how he came into the team due to the unavailability of Leon Balogun…..6/10

William Troost Ekong – Solid but not spectacular. However this time around he looked very much up for it by matching the pace of the Sudanese forward with ease. A step up from his performance against Egypt…..6/10

Zaidu Sanusi – Didn’t quite impress with his intention to switch play and used the ball poorly. However he was solid defensively including a last ditch tackle to deny Sudan a clear chance at goal…..6.5/10

Ola Aina – Bombed forward with ease. Took his men out as well and linked up nicely with Chukwueze on the right. Unlucky to give away what looks like a soft penalty…..7/10

Wilfred Ndidi – Another monstrous performance from the Leicester City man. Solid in tackle. Assured in possession and covered every blade of grass for the good of the team. Gets this team moving…..7/10

Joe Aribo – Plays majestically as he does the hard things with less effort. The manner which he wins and initiate attack is such a sight to behold. His substitution led to the collapse of the Nigerian midfield. Showing how important he is to the team…..7/10

Kelechi Iheanacho – Dropped deep to get involved and still made his presence in the box felt when he needed to.  Got subbed off as a means of giving him a rest from the look of things…..6/10

Taiwo Awoniyi – Had two good chances to get on the score sheet but was unlucky until he got his goal with a predatory instinct of a striker full of confidence. Such a presence in the box…..6/10

Samuel Chukwueze – Didn’t get going early and yet to hit the height expected of him. Took his goal nicely. Got subbed off at the start of the second half with was looked like an injury. Still not at his best…..5/10

Moses Simon – Lively, direct and daring. A constant threat down the left for Nigeria and looks the more likely to make things happen when on the ball. Got an early assist by setting up Chukwueze and got among the scorers early into the second half. An early contender for player of the tournament…..8/10

Substitutes:

Alex Iwobi –  Showed clean pairs of heels when needed and almost grabbed an assist. Still not at his best level…..5/10

Kelechi Nwakali – Slowed down the momentum of the Nigerian team and didn’t quite make his mark in the team like Aribo whom he replaced…. 4/10

Ahmed Musa – Brought injection of pace to the attack but did nothing to note to earn a rating.

Sadiq Umar – Wasted a promising move to mount an attack by hitting a wayward shot. Yet to get in on the act.

The senior national team of Nigeria secured passage into the round of 16 in the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations with a 3-1 win over Sudan in their second game. OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Nigeria got in on the act early into the half with Moses Simon setting up Samuel Chukwueze for the opening goal of the game as early as the 3rd minute of the game..

Three more chances to increase to increase the goal went begging with Taiwo Awoniyi missing two good chances. Joe Aribo missed the other. However Awoniyi made atonement for his miss.

With was virtually the last kick of the game , Awoniyi headed home the second goal for Nigeria before Simon put the game beyond the reach of the Sudanese with a goal of how own one minute after the restart.

Sudan did pull a goal back from the spot when Ola Aina was adjudged to have foul his man by pulling his shirt after a review by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR).

Walieldin Khedr sent Maduka Okoye the wrong way but the goal ended as a consolation as Nigeria hanged on to claim all three points and passage to the round of 16.

The lineup for the senior national team of Nigeria for today’s FCON 2021 game against Sudan has been made known to OwnGoalNigeria.com.

We exclusively gathered that coach Austine Eguavoen has decided to switch formation from the 4-2-3-1 the team played against Egypt where they won 1-0 to a more attacking formation.

The team per what we gathered will play 4-2-4 with the emphasis on going all out to attack with Sudan expected to approach the game with a low defensive block to frustrate Nigeria.

Same team like the one that played Egypt will be used for the game that starts by 5pm Nigerian team and a win for the Nigerian team will see them through to the next round of the tournament which is the round of 16.

Maduka Okoye will be in goal with a back four of Ola Aina, Zaidu Sanusi, William Troost Ekong and Kenneth Omeruo. Right in front of them will be the midfield two of Joe Aribo and Wilfred Ndidi.

Moses Simon will start on the left with Samuel Chukwueze retaining his position on the right. The attack will be the duo of Kelechi Iheanacho and Taiwo Awoniyi.

Maduka Okoye
Kenneth Omeruo
William Troost Ekong
Zaidu Sanusi
Ola Aina
Wilfred Ndidi
Joe Aribo
Kelechi Iheanacho
Taiwo Awoniyi
Samuel Chukwueze
Moses Simon

The Super Eagles of Nigeria had their final training session ahead of tomorrow’s game against Sudan at the 2021 delayed Africa Cup of Nations holding in Cameroon.

A win in tomorrow’s game against Sudan will seal passage to the round of 16 for the Nigerian team and ahead of the game , coach Austine Eguavoen put the players through their paces. Below is the five things we noticed during the session.

1. Eguavoen Sticks To Same Lineup: Per what we say today at the training session, it’s clear to see that the coach of the team Austine Eguavoen has plans to stick to same lineup that defeated Egypt 1-0 in their opening game of the tournament.

2. Emphasis On Passing – The session was halted severally by Eguavoen as he seek to drive his method of how he wants them to pass their way through what he expects to be a low block from the Sudanese team. He was keen on seeing them move the ball quicker and overload the box when in the opponent’s half.

3. Onyekuru Might Play Some Role – Henry Onyekuru who was a late call up to the team is pushing to start. As it was yesterday when he found the back of the net, he was very lively today getting past his markers with ease and also linking up nicely.

4. Nwakali Need To Run More – It’s clear that Kelechi Nwakali is high in the thinking of Eguavoen who believe he has what it takes to play but he is demanding more from the Huesca man. He keeps on pushing the former Nigeria U17 captain to run more for the good of the team especially when they are in transition and without the ball.

5. Shoot At Sight- One approach that the Super Eagles will take tomorrow will likely be the option of shooting at goal at the sight of it. Eguavoen had the players go through several shooting sessions obviously to work on their confidence when the chance to shoot comes their way.

Interim coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Austine Eguavoen says he is working on the efficiency of his team scoring goals after scoring just once against Egypt.

Nigeria got their campaign underway with a slim 1-0 win courtesy of a goal from Leicester City forward Kelechi Iheanacho but with proper conversation of chances, they would have scored more.

In the absence of top striker Victor Osimhen and last AFCON tournament top scorer Odion Ighalo, the burden of scoring goals for the Nigerian team lies on the shoulders of the duo of Taiwo Awoniyi and Sadiq Umar.

Both of them fail to hit the net against Egypt but ahead of the game against Sudan, Eguavoen said he wants his team to not just rely on the strikers but share the responsibility of scoring goals.

“We have talked about scoring goals. I have made it clear that we won’t build our team on one person scoring goals. That’s why we try to assist one another. If you are not in a good position, try to assist your teammates. It’s a collective effort”, he explained.

The coach of the senior national team of Sudan Burhan Tia says the Super Eagles of Nigeria opening win against Egypt showed their strength but his team won’t be looking into it that much.

Sudan will tomorrow take on Nigeria in the second round of game in the ongoing 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon, while Nigeria started their campaign with a win, Sudan were held to a 0-0 draw by Guinea Bissau.

With Nigeria needing a win to seal passage to the round of 16 of the tournament, Sudan will be all out to also pick their first win of the tournament to keep their chances of progressing from the group alive.

Tia says although Nigeria defeated Egypt, his team will be working on tactics that will help them upstage the Super Eagles when both teams clash tomorrow.

“We want to try to play football and the key thing for us is the three points at stake. We have set objectives and we are ready to achieve it”, the coach said at the post match conference ahead of tomorrow’s game.

“We know that Nigeria is a great side. They are going to be looking in good shape and we have a great team also. Nigeria played against Egypt and they won. It’s a football game and Nigeria is a great team known worldwide. They have taken part in many competitions but I want to say that the team want to win.

”Nigeria have their own advantage, we know the team very well. This match is very crucial and we have mapped out strategies to get a positive result”, he concluded.