October 04, (THEWILL) – For the imminent Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches against the Central African Republic (CAR), Nigeria has called up Union Berlin forward Taiwo Awoniyi to replace the injured Terem Moffi.
THEWILL notes that the senior men’s national football team, the Super Eagles, will face their CAR counterparts in Lagos on Thursday before travelling to Douala for the return match three days later.
Awoniyi scored a second-half brace in Union Berlin’s 2-1 comeback win over Mainz 05 in the Bundesliga on Sunday, as THEWILL reported. It came only days after the 24-year-old heroics secured the Iron Ones’ 3-0 UEFA Europa Conference League victory over Maccabi Haifa on Thursday.
The former Nigerian Under-17, Under-20, and Under-23 international has had a strong start to the 2021-22 season, scoring six goals in ten games across all competitions for his Bundesliga side.
A statement to this effect on the Super Eagles’ social media page read: “Taiwo Awoniyi called up to replace injured Terem Moffi for the World Cup qualifier vs Central African Republic. Get well soon Terem.”
Rohr was questioned last month about not inviting Awoniyi to the team’s first World Cup qualifiers, but he defended the decision by citing the presence of three centre forwards in the squad. Ahead of the qualifiers against Liberia and Cape Verde in September, Rohr had said in reply:
“There are people calling for Awoniyi while also there are those calling for other players. We can only bring three centre forwards, we have already [Victor] Osimhen, we have Paul Onuachu, we have [Terem] Moffi who is doing well in Lorient and we even have Kelechi [Iheanacho].
“So, which one do you want me to bring out to put in Awoniyi?”
Following an update from Everton manager Rafael Benitez about the injury to Super Eagles’ player Alex Iwobi on Friday, Moffi was initially called up to take Iwobi’s place but after the Ligue 1 star walked off with an injury in Lorient’s 1-1 draw with Clermont on Sunday.
It therefore created the perfect opportunity for Awoniyi to make his Super Eagles debut on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Watford midfielder Oghenekaro Etebo has also been ruled out of the matches against CAR, and he is expected to miss the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Cameroon next year after tearing a quadriceps muscle in his knee against Newcastle United on September 25.
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.
