Nigeria’s senior male football team the Super Eagles became the first side in the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations to qualify for the first knockout stage of the competition taking place in Egypt by beating their Guinean opponents 1-0.
The victory in Alexandria gave the Super Eagles the leadership of Group B with six points from two matches thus ensuring qualification for the Round of 16 at 2019 AFCON.
Defender Omeruo scored the winner in the 73rd minute with a header off a corner kick taken by Simon to beat the Guinean goalkeeper. The first half ended goalless with the Sylly Stars having the upper hand.
The victory has been well received by football fans back home in Nigeria though with an admonition that the Super Eagles should improve on the first half performance in their next match.
A former Director-General of the National Sports Commission, Gbenga Elegbeleye urged the team attackers to score more goals as the competition progresses.
Elegbeleye was speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) shortly after Nigeria became the first team to book a place in the round of 16 of the tournament.
Elegbeleye, a former chairman of Ondo State Table Tennis Association, said while the group stage could be about points, goal scoring was essential at the knock-out stage.
“We need to score more goals. Our attackers should do more to ensure that we score more goals.
“We are getting to the stage where your ability to outscore your opponent will determine your survival.
“Credit to the boys for their effort but you saw how difficult it was to penetrate the Guinean defence,” Elegbeleye said.
The former member of the Ministerial Committee on Reform of Football Administration in Nigeria however congratulated the Super Eagles for getting the job done.
“I congratulate Nigerians and I feel that the victory was a good one.
“We have secured a place in the second round with a game to spare, so the Super Eagles got the job done.
“It was not a perfect match but it was practical. We needed three points and that was what we got,” he said.
A 73rd minute strike by defender Kenneth Omeruo off Simon Moses’ corner kick secured another narrow win for the Super Eagles.
The victory places Nigeria on top of Group B with six points from two matches, while Guinea and Madagascar have one point each.
NAN reports that much of the pre-match talking point was the omission of Captain Mikel Obi and inclusion of striker Odion Ighalo in the starting lineup.
But Elegbeleye believed that coach Gernot Rohr made the right decision.
“Ighalo came in as a substitute and scored against Burundi, so he deserved a place in the game against Guinea.
“Much has been said about Mikel’s exclusion from the starting lineup, but playing Iwobi in central midfield means that Mikel cannot start.
“Remember, Iwobi operated from the wing for the better part of the last match against Burundi. So, the coach made the right decision,” Elegbeleye said.
Nigeria’s final group game is against Madagascar on Sunday, June 30.
Also commenting on the match a former Golden Eaglets’ coach, Godwin Izilein, and Baldwin Bazuaye, Head coach of Bendel Insurance FC of Benin, congratulated the Super Eagles for the victory but urged them to improve on their tactical play in future matches.
İizilein, who also once coached the Super Falcons, spoke in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Benin after watching the Eagles beat Guinea in their second game in group B.
While noting that the Eagles had a good game against Guinea, he however, noted that there was room for improvement.
He particularly stated that the Eagles and their handlers needed to work on the midfielders as well as the attackers to become ‘deadly’ and clinical in their finishing.
According to him, “it is a very good begining for the team. On the average, they are playing well but they need to improve on their capacity in their next matches.
“Performance of the players is not encouraging in the midfield. They need also to improve on their finishing; they need to get the goal early to consolidate.”
While he singled out Kenneth Omeruo as his Man of the Match, especially for scoring the only goal of the match, he condemned the play style of Odion Ighalo who he described as a selfish player.
“Omeruo should be applauded and be encouraged to do more. Ighalo on his own was selfish and forgot that the game is for eleven characters.
“It will not augur well for the team in subsequent matches should he continue like this.
“The sole intention of the team is to win matches irrespective of who scores; the game is for eleven characters.
“On the overall, our game against Guinea was a good one, tough but we can improve on it,” stated İizilein.
Nigeria, playing in group B with Guinea, Madagascar and Burundi, won their first game against Burundi with a lone goal scored in the 77th minutes of the match by ighalo.
Similarly, Bazuaye applauded the Super Eagles of Nigeria over their defeat of Guinea, saying “it’s a good victory for all Nigerians.
“The players should ensure they put in their best as the competition progresses; I want them to go for more goals.
“But if they score one goal they should ensure they put in their very best to defend the goal to the end of the game.
“Coach Gernot Rohr should work on the mid fielders to spray good passes on time to the attackers if we have to score many goals,” he said.
