Super Eagles lost to Rwanda's Amavubi 2-1 in Monday's final Group D match of the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
Augustine Eguavoen, the Super Eagles interim coach, has disclosed that his team's performance against Rwanda was below standard.
The interim coach lost to Rwanda's Amavubi 2-1 in Monday's final Group D match of the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
Boniface squandered several chances in the game before Samuel Chukwueze gave the Eagles the lead, from a Frank Onyeka assist.
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Just four minutes later, Rwanda equalised when substitute Marie Gueulette headed the ball past Maduka Okoye, taking advantage of Nigeria's defenders who were caught ball-watching during a free-kick.
As the Eagles maintained their lackadaisical approach, the Amavubi seized the moment to create history. Three minutes after the equaliser, they attacked the Nigerian defence again and scored their second goal - which proved to be the match winner.
Eguavoen reacts to Super Eagles defeat
Eguavoen expressed his disappointment during the post-match press conference, saying that he felt very sad.
He added that days of defeats happened, sighting how his tactics didn't work to give him the needed victory.
“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.
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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,” Eguavoen lamented.
The Super Eagles have qualified for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, scheduled for December 2025/January 2026.