Ifeanyi Eduzor
After watching the Super Eagles come from a goal down to record a 2-1 victory over Squirrels of Benin Republic in their opening Group L qualifier of Cameroon 2021 African Cup of Nations, former Technical Director of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and one-time Flying Eagles coach, Tunde Disu, says that the the team must improve on their defence to be in a position to pick one of the tickets to Cameroon.
The Super Eagles last Wednesday at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, avoided what would have been a major upset when they rallied from behind to record a slim victory over neighbours, Benin Republic, before traveling to Maseru where they secured a 4-2 away victory over the Crocodiles of Lesotho at the Setsoto Stadium on Sunday.
Disu believes that though the home victory was a big relief, the Gernot Rohr-tutored side must improve on their defence to avoid being in a tight corner in the qualifiers.
He told The Nigerian Xpress Sports shortly after the encounter that the not too impressive performance of the team’s defence in Uyo and Maseru must be a source of concern to every Nigerian and as such the technical crew must find answers to the problem in order to avoid the team conceding avoidable goals.
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“When you look at the game with Benin Republic, you will discover that the defence did not live up to expectation. Although the Super Eagles dominated the second half, the Beninoise were able to trouble our defence and could have gotten the equaliser in the dying minutes of the game,” noted the Miracle of Dammam Coach.
“The implication of their freqeunt incursions into our 18 yard box is that the defence is weak and can cave in against stronger opposition and as such needs surgical procedure, especially when they go for away matches,” the experienced coach said.
Disu, while expressing hope that Nigeria will pick one of the tickets in the group, however cautioned against complacency which he said could mar their chances of being in Yaounde next two years.
“It’s true that Nigeria has a very bright chance of qualifying from the group made up of Benin Republic, Lesotho and Sierra- Leone but they must not underrate any of their opponents because the game in Uyo not only opened the eyes of many football fans but further confirmed that there are no more minnows in African football.
“When you look back, you will discover that the same Benin we were defeating with heavy goal margins in the past, have improved greatly and are now fighting for ball control in all departments of the game with us and even scored before the Super Eagles which goes to show that no team should be underated any more”, he concluded.
