After earning a point in Johannesburg and qualifying for the 2019 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Cameroon, Nigeria can reflect on the match and the qualifying campaign ahead of the friendly against Uganda on Tuesday.
In an interview after the match on Saturday, Coach Gernot Rohr said that his team had done what they had set out to do. The first thing was to play attacking the football and qualify for the final tournament next year either through a win or a draw. The second thing was to score against South Africa who have not conceded a single goal in the previous four qualifiers. The Coach reflected on the two disallowed goals and how he was proud of the way the Super Eagles carried on attacking in the second half. He also had a message for the South Africans, saying that, if they play against Libya as they played against them, they will certainly qualify.
Both coaches had questioned the refereeing in the game, Rohr because of the two goals who which weren’t given because Ahmed Musa was ruled to be offside in both instances, and the South African Coach Stuart Baxter thought his players were fouled a few times but the whistle stayed silent.
Gernot Rohr (www.thenff.com)
Out of all the Super Eagles, Ahmed Musa and Samuel Kalu were the two best players on the night. Kalu was instrumental in the creation of the only goal for Nigeria, but he was also attack-minded throughout the match. Ahmed Musa did a good job as a captain, but also in attack, scoring twice but it was not to be, as the ref waved away both goals because of offside.
John Ogu did his holding duties well in midfield and helped out in defence, while Iwobi was passing the ball efficiently all the way through the game. Leon Balogun was good in defence. Other players also put in good performances, apart from maybe Kelechi Iheanacho who was criticized by the coach after the game. He was wasteful with the ball, making mistakes and also missed a 100% chance in the second half.
On Monday, the Super Eagles are jetting back to Asaba, to prepare for the friendly match against Uganda, who have also qualified for the AFCON 2019. The match will take place on Tuesday, November 20th. Both teams will use the match to start preparing for the big tournament in Cameroon.
The is one more match day in Group E for Nigeria, against Seychelles, which will be an easy task and a chance for Gernot Rohr to try out a few players and test some tactical options.