Super Eagles and Nantes of France winger Moses Simon says the tactics of interim coach of the Nigerian team Austine Eguavoen is behind his spectacular display against Egypt.

Nigeria defeated Egypt 1-0 with Simon having what he personally described as one of his best game in the colours of Nigeria the past two years. He operated from the left wing same place he is making his mark in France with Nantes.

Ahead of tomorrow’s game against Sudan , Simon was asked the secret of his near faultless performance and he credited it to the tactics and freedom he has been given by the interim coach of the Nigerian team.

” It’s one of my best games in the last two years. We changed the coach and tactics. Every coach has his own mentality. With the current coach, he gave me the freedom to express myself. It really helped me a lot”, he said.

One area of his game which frustrated against Egypt was his ability to hit crosses that will count in the box and it drew a call for his improvement in that regard by former Africa Footballer of the year Emmanuel Amuneke, Simon reacted to his take by confirming that he is working on it.

“We are working on the finishing. The coaches are making sure we get things right. We are not perfect. Emmanuel Amunike is a legend. We watch play on TV. We learn from someone like him. I am not Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo. Everyone makes mistakes. We are trying to improve on our game”, he concluded.

The senior national team of Nigeria returned back to full training after yesterday’s recovery session following the 1-0 win over Egypt.

Led by coach Austine Eguavoen, the team started the session around 5pmNigerian time with 26 players taking part as Chidozie Awaziem is still out injured. Kenneth Omeruo who went off injured in the Egypt game took part in full training.

After the usual drills the team had a practice match which lasted for thirty minutes and it ended with the team in green winning 2-1 in what was a very entertaining affair as the build up to Saturday’s game against Sudan hots up.

The team wearing green training jerseys won the 30-minute session and it contained Maduka Okoye, Tyrone Ebuehi, Jamilu Collins, Semi Ajayi, Olisa Ndah, Frank Onyeka, Alex Iwobi, Chidera Ejuke, Peter Olayinka, Umar Sadiq, Henry Onyekuru and Ahmed Musa.

Olympiacos Henry Onyekuru set the ball rolling with the curtain raiser on 6 minutes. The former Monaco winger fired a sweet grounder which left goalkeeper Francis Uzoho stranded.

The team increased the tally through Sadiq Umar who showed predatory instinct to drive home Onyekuru’s pass.

Kelechi Nwakali reduced the tally with a beautiful screamer that Maduka Okoye couldn’t stop.

The Super Eagles will aim to qualify from group D with another game against the Falcons of Jediane (Sudan) at Stade Roumdé Adjia in Garoua.

Team Red
Francis Uzoho
Ola Aina
Zaidu Sanusi
William Troost-Ekong
Kenneth Omeruo
Wilfred Ndidi
Joe Aribo
Kelechi Nwakali
Taiwo Awoniyi
Moses Simon
Samuel Chukwueze
Kelechi Iheanacho

Team Green
Maduka Okoye
Tyrone Ebuehi
Jamilu Collins
Semi Ajayi
Olisa Ndah
Frank Onyeka
Alex Iwobi
Chidera Ejuke
Peter Olayinka
Umar Sadiq
Henry Onyekuru
Ahmed Musa

The senior national team of Nigeria returned back to full training after yesterday’s recovery session following the 1-0 win over Egypt.

Led by coach Austine Eguavoen, the team started the session around 5pmNigerian time with 26 players taking part as Chidozie Awaziem is still out injured. Kenneth Omeruo who went off injured in the Egypt game took part in full training.

After the usual drills the team had a practice match which lasted for thirty minutes and it ended with the team in green winning 2-1 in what was a very entertaining affair as the build up to Saturday’s game against Sudan hots up.

The team wearing green training jerseys won the 30-minute session and it contained Maduka Okoye, Tyrone Ebuehi, Jamilu Collins, Semi Ajayi, Olisa Ndah, Frank Onyeka, Alex Iwobi, Chidera Ejuke, Peter Olayinka, Umar Sadiq, Henry Onyekuru and Ahmed Musa.

Olympiacos Henry Onyekuru set the ball rolling with the curtain raiser on 6 minutes. The former Monaco winger fired a sweet grounder which left goalkeeper Francis Uzoho stranded.

The team increased the tally through Sadiq Umar who showed predatory instinct to drive home Onyekuru’s pass.

Kelechi Nwakali reduced the tally with a beautiful screamer that Maduka Okoye couldn’t stop.

The Super Eagles will aim to qualify from group D with another game against the Falcons of Jediane (Sudan) at Stade Roumdé Adjia in Garoua.

Team Red
Francis Uzoho
Ola Aina
Zaidu Sanusi
William Troost-Ekong
Kenneth Omeruo
Wilfred Ndidi
Joe Aribo
Kelechi Nwakali
Taiwo Awoniyi
Moses Simon
Samuel Chukwueze
Kelechi Iheanacho

Team Green
Maduka Okoye
Tyrone Ebuehi
Jamilu Collins
Semi Ajayi
Olisa Ndah
Frank Onyeka
Alex Iwobi
Chidera Ejuke
Peter Olayinka
Umar Sadiq
Henry Onyekuru
Ahmed Musa

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) says the camp of the senior national team of Nigeria has more unity than ever as they get set to take on Sudan in their second group game of the 2021 delayed Africa Cup of Nations.

After the 1-0 win over Egypt in their opening game they have shifted their focus completely to Saturday’s confrontation with the Falcons of Jediane (Sudan) at the Stade Roumdé Adjia in Garoua.

A win over Sudan will see them book their spot in the round of 16 of the tournament which will make their final group game against debutant Guinea Bissau less important to their quest of making it out of the group.

Ahead of the game, the media department aimed a subtle dig at former coach of the team Gernot Rohr by uncharacteristically quoting an unnamed backroom staff on the spirit in camp.

The source per the NFF said the team has a better team spirit saying it’s like a breath of fresh air under present coach of the team Austine Eguavoen.

Below is the quote from the press release.

Old hands in the Nigeria team’s backroom have told of a breath of fresh air in camp, in which democracy, liberty and communication have been instituted and everyone is made to feel a part of all activities, events and programmes. “Coach Eguavoen has insisted that everyone must communicate; they must say their mind at all times. He speaks to each and every player like he’s their uncle and notes and deals with their challenges. He does not discriminate.

“The camp is so interesting and is once more like a family setting. Everyone is like another’s brother. The spirit is high and I believe our team will go far in this competition,” said one backroom staff.

Former Super Eagles defender Efe Ambrose says the former coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Gernot Rohr left behind a solid team for interim coach of the team Austine Eguavoen.

Rohr was at the helm of the Nigerian team for five years before his sacking a little over a month ago and in his first competitive game as interim manager Eguavoen was largely praised for the way the team played.

They were very dominant and got their AFCON 2021 campaign off to a winning start with a 1-0 win over Egypt and according to Ambrose, Rohr’s touch in the team should be acknowledged.

“I stand corrected but Eguavoen used same players like Rohr did. If we are honest Rohr gave debut to six of the players who started the game in Ola Aina, Zaidu Sanusi, Joe Aribo, Taiwo Awoniyi, Samuel Chukwueze and Maduka Okoye”, Efe told OwnGoalNigeria.com.

” Even Chidera Ejuke and Semi Ajayi who came off the bench were all handed their international bow by Rohr. It’s unfair not to acknowledge the job he did in his time as coach. It’s helping Eguavoen now”.

Egyptian defender Akram Tawfik won’t play any further part in the ongoing 2021 delayed Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament in Cameroon, The Egyptian FA has announced.

The defender was carried out on a stretcher in their 0-1 loss to Nigeria when he tries to stop super Eagles winger Moses Simon from getting past him very early into the game in Garuoa.

Simon showed good turn of pace before breaking his run with a smart turn and in a bid to get into a position to put in a tackle, Tawfik went down and after treatment was carried off the pitch.

He was subsequently substituted and latest medical tests carried out by the medics of the Egyptian team showed that he tore his anterior cruciate ligament and will be out for at least a year.

Nantes winger Simon was unplayable for the 89th minute that he was on the pitch and had a hand in the move that led to the goal that decided the game in favour of the senior national team of Nigeria. It was his cross that was cleared onto the path of Joe Aribo who laid the assist for Kelechi Iheanacho.

Alanyaspor of Turkey defender Chidozie Awaziem might not kick a ball for the senior national team of Nigeria after suffering a relapse in his bid to recover from injury, OwnGoalNigeria.com can exclusively reveal.

Awaziem turned up at the camp of the senior national team prior to the tournament Injured from a league game in Turkey and missed their last two games before resuming with the Nigerian team in Abuja.

The defender according to a team source told officials of the team that he will be fit to return to action three days after his arrival in camp, and true to his words he was back in training but they noticed he wasn’t his usual self.

He continued training with the team in preparation for the tournament and even played some part in the test game against Coton Sport which they won 2-0. He however suffered a relapse a day to the opening game against Egypt.

Angry officials of the team believe he hid the serious nature of the injury in order to make the squad for the tournament, with fears emerging that he might not play a game as early reports say he could be out for two weeks.

It means Semi Ajayi will now step up to the role of third central defender with the duo of William Troost Ekong and Kenneth Omeruo the preferred first choice pairing. Olisa Ndah will be the back up for the aforementioned trio.

Egyptian forward Mohammed Salah says he thought he has drawn his team level when he ghosted behind the defence of Nigeria during the 0-1 loss at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Salah beat the Nigerian offside trap but with goalkepper Maduka Okoye off his line, the Egyptian who was under pressure from two defenders of Nigeria was still able to get a shot away but an outstretched leg of the Nigerian shot stopper saved the day for Nigeria.

After the game, Salah while speaking on the disappointment of losing their first game of the tournament was quick to praise the efforts of Okoye in stopping his goal bound effort which he thought was going in.

” We didn’t have many chances in the game and when I thought I have scored it was saved by the goalkepper. The idea is to look forward to the next game to really get our tournament on the way. Nigeria get the win they deserve. We have to improve going forward”, Salah said.

Interim coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Austine Eguavoen has fired back at the coach of Egypt over his claims that his team were denied a stone wall penalty in their 0-1 defeat to Nigeria at the 2021 delayed Africa Cup of Nations.

Hector Cuper branded the decision to award a penalty to Nigeria a huge let off for the Super Eagles as it would have helped his team to at least salvage something from the game.“In the second half, there was a very clear penalty for us that the referee didn’t award and the VAR did not intervene,” Queiroz said after the game.

“Maybe at that time, the VAR was not working.

“There was clearly a penalty. It wasn’t our day, it wasn’t also a good day for the refereeing. Even my grandmother would have awarded it a penalty.

“It is a disaster because there are VAR referees. It is unacceptable. Watch the incident yourself. It’s unbelievable that with all these referees, no one noticed the penalty,” he added.

After yesterday’s training, OwnGoalNigeria.com sort to hear from the Nigerian gaffer on the claims by Cuper, the Nigerian coach hit back by saying it’s not his fault that VAR didn’t see the incident as one that is worthy of a penalty.

“Everybody is entitled to their opinion. Egypt is one team I have always respected. They have a good coach in Carlos Quieroz and great player like Mo Salah. It’s not our fault. If VAR didn’t pick the particular incident, so be it”, he said.

“I thought we also scored a goal from Awoniyi. But when I see the action after the game, the ball didn’t cross the line. There was ball to hand incident in the first half. It wasn’t up to me to decide but the centre referee. Egypt is a good side, I don’t want anyone to look down on them. They have a solid and good side. VAR is there to decide for everyone”, he concluded.

Huesca and senior Nigeria international midfielder Kelechi Nwakali says he is a different kind of player to legendary former Super Eagles captain and playmaker Austine Okocha.

He has been compared to the former PSG and Bolton Wanderers ace severally and many feel his first competitive game for Nigeria is the first step towards emulating the ex Super Eagles number ten.

Nwakali has however played down such notions as he sees himself as a different player to Okocha and want to be remembered for who he is and not as the next Okocha.

He called his debht for the senior national team of Nigeria in a tournament as a dream come true for him ans hope to be around for a long while.

“I am not living under anybody. Okocha is a legend. I don’t think I have his skills. I am a different player who want to help the team win”, he told OwnGoalNigeria.comin Garuoa.

“It was great to make my AFCON debut against Egypt. That’s the dream of any Nigerian player”.

His Inclusion in the team divided opinions with many looking at the fact that he has no goal or assists this season after 19 matches in the Spanish second division.

“If I don’t have what it takes to be part of this team the coach wouldn’t invite me. I want to live up to expectations and try my best for the team. I want to help the team achieve something great in Cameroon”, he concluded.