January 08, (THEWILL) – Nigeria’s caretaker coach Augustine Eguavoen had mixed thoughts about the Super Eagles’ overall performance in their 2-0 friendly win over Coton Sport, the Cameroonian domestic league champions in Garoua.
Nigeria beat Coton Sport 2-nil in the TotalEnergies 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) warm-up tie owing to goals from captain Ahmed Musa and Villarreal speedster Samuel Chukwueze in each half of the Friday match.
Following the game, Eguavoen expressed his admiration for his side’s commitment to the tactics and formation, which included working well with the ball, increasing the pace of their moves, maintaining positional duties and ultimately winning the game.
“I can tell you we struggled a little bit with the weather, but in terms of ball possession and movement, I think we were very impressed,” Eguavoen said, in his post-match remarks.
“Winning this game is a very good thing for us.”
However, the 1994 AFCON-winning defender had a few areas of concern because fielding two different squads in each half of the game, the Eagles appeared worn down in the final stages.
Eguavoen also saw that the team’s midfielders were failing to arrive in the opponents’ danger zone in time to take advantage of the opportunities that were being created.
And the former Gent star has vowed to get the Eagles back on the practice field as soon as possible to correct these glaring loopholes. He addressed this also.
“As the game progressed, you could see fatigue starting to set in. So the ball movement became a bit slower. But whenever they recuperate, they always go out there and do exactly what we want them to do.
“But in front of goal, we are too few. That’s something we have to work on too. Because crosses are coming in well, ball possession is good.
“Playing to the sides, which is our strength, is very good. But arriving in the box with fewer players is not so good. That’s what we are going to work on in the next few days.”
The Super Eagles continue their AFCON preparations ahead of their opening group game on Tuesday, January 11 against the Pharaohs of Egypt, ably led by Liverpool ace Mohamed Salah.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
