September 07, (THEWILL) – Ahead of the 5pm kickoff of Nigeria’s second Qatar 2022 World Cup qualifier against the Blue Sharks of Cape Verde on Tuesday, Gernot Rohr, the coach of the Super Eagles, has made it clear that the team has only one goal, to maintain their leadership of Group C at the end of the fixture.
Rohr spoke on the squad’s readiness on the back of the absence of no fewer than eight regular first-team players that have been the bedrock of the Super Eagles’ defense, midfield and a part of the attack lineup since he took over as Technical Director in August 2016.
As THEWILL reported, the bulk of Nigeria’s defense and midfield, including two-goal hero against Liberia, Kelechi Iheanacho, in the first World Cup qualifier, were disallowed from making the trip with the rest of the squad to Cape Verde by their UK-based clubs because the country was included in the United Kingdom’s “Red List” of countries with a prevalence of COVID-19 infections.
Yet, Rohr was insistent that their absence was not going to derail his team from their goal to approach the contest with that sole aim of victory. The quality still at the disposal of the German tactician makes his boast supported by fact as Napoli’s Victor Osimhen will be looking to return to goal-scoring form as well Racing Genk’s Paul Onuachu, who will be intent on commanding a starting shirt. Then, there is also the team’s skipper Ahmed Musa.
This belies the false confidence of Ryan Mendez, who is the top striker for the Cape Verdeans. Mendez was quick to claim that the Super Eagles of Nigeria were deficient without the likes of their solid performers like Iheanacho, his Leicester City teammate Wilfred Ndidi and Alex Iwobi, who provided the assists for Iheanacho on Friday against Liberia.
The proof of that will be litigated on the field of play with the performance each side brings to the game. While Rohr insists his team can tell how Cape Verde will approach the game for which they have set up counter tactics to score goals and win, even he admits that it will be tough, though he is counting on his charges to deliver.
Speaking of the uphill task facing them, with the foreknowledge that there are no real minnows again in the game, Rohr said: “They (Cape Verde) like to set up with three at the back and we know they like to defend, but we have our idea and we have our tactics to score goals and win the game.
“I know it won’t be easy with our situation, but we are a super commando, and we have to show our fighting spirit.”
THEWILL believes it is a turn of good fortune for Ahmed Musa, whose desire to find a team ready to recruit him in the English Premier League did not meet with success. After a stint at his local club in Nigeria, the Kano Pillars FC, he finally succeeded in inking a deal that saw him return to Europe, with the Turkish Super Lig side Fatih Kamagumruk.
This will allow him feature in his 100th cap, as he becomes a part of the exclusive class of Nigerian football centurions. He joins Vincent Enyeama, with 101 caps and Joseph Yobo with 100 as the only players to have reached the centurion mark. If he had succeeded getting into the EPL, he will have been denied this opportunity and would have been forced to return with the others.
Musa will also be hungry to get back to goal-scoring for Nigeria with the chance to be in the starting lineup. He is the country’s leading goalscorer in the global football showpiece, the World Cup, with four goals to his name.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
