Super Eagles interim coach Augustine Eguavoen expressed his dismay at the number of missed chances his players should have converted to goals yesterday in the first match of the double header AFCON 2025 qualifiers against Libya at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo.
Despite the abundance in attacking quality in the lineup, the Super Eagles struggled to secure a 1-0 win at home in the dying minutes of the match, with the goal from Lazio attacking midfielder Fisayo Dele-Bashiru.
Eguavoen said after the game: “Emotions were high, and when the goal came, it was a huge relief.
“Actually, we should have scored more goals but the tactics that they deployed was compact as they defended in numbers when the ball was in their area.
“We were a bit slow in the first half, but the boys picked up in the second half and ball circulation became faster as instructed. The last 25 minutes was better.”
Eguavoen was also critical of the time-wasting tactics used by Libya during the match.
“I think the Libyans used delay tactics because we have our timekeepers in the name of Thomas and Boborise. They wasted 14 to 15 minutes out if the 45 minutes, which is not so good.
“They are a good side, you could see that they could move the ball if they wanted to move the ball. But trying to bring in such strategies is a good thing, they should just play normally.
“When we scored the late goal, they came out. Maybe they over-respected us thinking if they came out, we were going to score a lot of goals.”
In the first fifteen minutes of the second half, Libya goalkeeper Murad Al Wuheesi received treatment for more than four minutes following a slight nudge from Victor Boniface.
It also took a long time for the goalkeeper to take his goal kicks and he eventually received a yellow card one of those times.
Yesterday’s victory over the Mediterranean knights yesterday kept the Super Eagles at the top of Group D of the 2025 AFCON qualifiers.
The away encounter will be played in Libya at the Martyrs of February Stadium in Benghazi on Tuesday and another win would further boost the Super Eagles’ chances of sealing qualification for AFCON 2025 in Morocco.
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