Eguavoen reveals why he named Osimhen and Awoniyi on the bench vs Rwanda

By Asuquo

Posted on September 11, 2024

Super Eagles’ caretaker coach, Augustine Eguavoen, has offered insights into his decision to bench Victor Osimhen and Taiwo Awoniyi during Nigeria’s goalless AFCON 2025 qualifier against Rwanda.

Eguavoen opted to bring him on as a substitute in the second half, replacing Victor Boniface. Osimhen, who recently joined Galatasaray on loan, struggled to make an impact, unlike his previous game against Benin, where he found the net

In the post-match press conference, Eguavoen explained that his decision was influenced by Osimhen’s fitness issues after a challenging summer, which included a failed transfer to Chelsea and a falling out with Napoli.

“Osimhen is our brother, you can’t throw the baby out with the bathwater. We know what he is going through in Napoli. He just moved to Galatasaray and has not been playing active football for a while now,” Eguavoen said.

He further emphasized the need to manage Osimhen’s fitness carefully, stating, “We are trying to manage his fitness. He played the last 25 minutes in the previous game, and today we had a word with him that he can’t play 90 minutes or else he will get injured.”

READ MORE: Super Eagles player ratings: Nigeria held to goalless draw by Rwanda in AFCON qualifiers

Eguavoen also addressed his decision to limit Taiwo Awoniyi’s playing time, explaining that squad rotation and player fitness were key factors. “Awoniyi had a few minutes at his club before joining us. We have 23 to 40 players to choose from, but only 11 can start. It’s frustrating, but the bonding is there, and everyone is on board,” Eguavoen remarked.

The Super Eagles coach acknowledged the difficulty of making tactical changes given the limited preparation time, having had only a few days of training before facing Benin and Rwanda.

“We trained for three or four days before the Benin game and then had to come here. It’s very difficult to change formation,” Eguavoen explained.

Despite the challenges surrounding fitness and tactics, Eguavoen expressed confidence in the Super Eagles’ ability to secure qualification for AFCON 2025