The Super Eagles head coach Austin Eguavoen was critical of Boniface's performance after his poor showing against Libya.
Victor Boniface has once again failed to inspire after delivering an underwhelming performance in the 1-0 victory against Libya, so much so that he attracted criticism from Super Eagles boss Austin Eguavoen.
19:27 - 11.10.2024
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A Pulse Sports assessment of key takeaways from the Super Eagles triumph over the Mediterranean Knights of Libya.
19:19 - 11.10.2024
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Nigeria narrowly defeated Libya in their 2025 AFCON qualifiers in Uyo and moved top of the Group D table.
Boniface flops again
The 22-year-old has been one of the best strikers in Europe since the start of last season. He scored 14 goals in 18 starts for a Bayer Leverkusen side that won the Bundesliga unbeaten.
His injury-enforced absence from Nigeria’s AFCON outing was thought to be a big miss, but in the last few games when he has led the line on Osimhen's absence, he has failed to justify those sentiments.
In the 1-0 win over Libya, Boniface failed to register a single shot on target, despite the Super Eagles' dominance over possession. His overall play was also lacking, as he did not complete a single dribble or win any of his six contested ground duels.
What Eguavoen said
Speaking after the close shave at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium, Super Eagles boss, Eguavoen addressed Boniface's poor form in front of goal.
According to the former Gent defender, the former USG man has a tendency to dally on the ball. He blamed that trait for Boniface's poor showing.
"Sometimes these chances don't come, but he wants to dress the ball,” Eguavoen told reporters. “If he decides to shoot sometimes, he's going to score a lot of goals. I will talk to him about it.”