Austin Eguavoen defends ‘below standard’ Super Eagles: ”we’ve very strong squad’

Austin Eguavoen defends 'below standard' Super Eagles: ''we've very strong squad'

Nigeria’s interim head coach, Augustine Eguavoen, has opened up about the Super Eagles’ underwhelming 2-1 defeat to Rwanda’s Amavubi in the final Group D match of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

Austin Eguavoen defends 'below standard' Super Eagles: ''we've very strong squad'

Speaking after the match in Uyo, Eguavoen described the team’s performance as “below standard” and expressed his sadness over the unexpected result, footballrover reports.

The game began with promise as the Super Eagles struck first and seemed poised to dominate.

However, against the run of play, Rwanda capitalised on a defensive lapse to equalise.

The Eagles gaffer revealed that the team had planned for a different outcome but admitted that football often brings unforeseen challenges.

Eguavoen’s tactical dilemmas in focus

As the game slipped away, the coach made tactical adjustments, including a shift in formation and introducing two additional strikers. Yet, the changes failed to tip the scales in Nigeria’s favour, as they lost 2-1 in the end.

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The Eagles were below standard, and I feel very sad. This result was not what we planned for. We scored and were pushing for a second goal, but, quite against the run of play, we conceded. I tried to change the formation, but it didn’t work.” 

This isn’t the first time the 59-year-old coach has faced criticism for his game management.

Austin Eguavoen defends 'below standard' Super Eagles: ''we've very strong squad'

Reflecting on a similar outcome against Benin Republic earlier in the qualifiers, he admitted that his strategies haven’t always produced the desired results. Yet he remains optimistic about the team’s potential.

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These things happen on certain days, and today was one of those days. When we conceded the second goal, I made changes by introducing two strikers, yet it still didn’t work,” he stated.

When asked about his plans for the upcoming FIFA World Cup qualifiers, Eguavoen doubled down on his faith in the Super Eagles, adding that setbacks are part of the game.

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“We keep trying; football is all about winning, losing, or drawing. But I believe we have a good squad, a very strong one.”

“Unfortunately, it just didn’t happen for us today. I still believe in this team. It has character and a strong mentality.

“Like I said earlier, we conceded against the run of play, and then, late in the game, we conceded again. At that point, it became very difficult to recover,” the coach concluded.

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