Nigeria’s Super Eagles interim coach, Augustine Eguavoen, has defended his decision to bench star striker Victor Osimhen for their goalless draw against Rwanda in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2025 qualifier. The match, which took place at the Amahoro Stadium in Kigali, saw the West Africans struggle to break down the resilient Amavubi side.
Despite deploying the same 3-4-3 formation that had brought a 3-0 victory over the Benin Republic just days earlier, the Super Eagles were unable to find the back of the net in Rwanda.
Eguavoen’s decision to stick with this tactical approach came under scrutiny, especially with Osimhen once again starting on the bench.
In a post-match interview, Eguavoen explained the rationale behind the lineup and the challenges he faced in preparing the squad within such a short timeframe.
“I’ve been tasked with the responsibility of securing our qualification for the next AFCON,” Eguavoen told reporters.
“All our players are based abroad and playing for big clubs, which makes it difficult to prepare the team in just a few days.
We trained for three or four days before the Benin game, and then we had to come here.
It’s very hard to change the formation under such limited time. We don’t have time to play friendlies.”
Eguavoen also addressed the much-debated decision to leave Osimhen on the bench for the second consecutive match.
The Napoli forward, who recently transferred to Turkish side Galatasaray, has been dealing with fitness issues, which Eguavoen was keen to manage carefully.
“Osimhen is like a brother to us, and you can’t throw out the baby with the bathwater,” Eguavoen said, offering insight into the striker’s situation.
“We understand what he’s going through in Napoli, and with his recent move to Galatasaray, he hasn’t been playing active football for a while now.
We’re managing his fitness carefully.”
The coach added that while Osimhen played 25 minutes in their previous match, it was not feasible for him to start or play the full 90 minutes in Kigali without risking injury.
“We had a conversation with him, and we all agreed he can’t play a full 90 minutes yet.
We risk him getting injured if we push him too hard,” Eguavoen explained.
“We have other options, including Taiwo Awoniyi, who also came on after having limited minutes in previous games.”
Eguavoen stressed the depth of talent in the Nigerian squad, noting that with 23 to 40 players to choose from, it’s impossible to start everyone in every game.
He acknowledged the frustrations that can arise but praised the team’s cohesion and spirit.
“We have the talent, but only 11 players can start a match at a time,” Eguavoen said. “There’s an understanding in the team.
The players are aware of the situation.
Sometimes they get frustrated, but the bonding is there, and they support each other.”
The result in Kigali leaves Nigeria with work to do in the qualification race for AFCON 2025, but Eguavoen remains focused on the task at hand.
The Super Eagles will look to regroup ahead of their next fixtures as they aim to secure their place in the prestigious continental tournament.
