Tag: Super Eagles

Super Eagles’ Ola Aina played for 90 minutes for Nottingham Forest in their 1-1 draw at the Stamford Bridge against Chelsea in one of the English Premier League games played last weekend.

Aina put in a good shift in his seventh game of the season but his compatriot, Taiwo Awoniyi was benched in the encounter. He has only played four league games this season. 

In Spain, Sevilla pipped Real Betis 1-0 in a La Liga tie with Chidera Ejuke playing his eighth game of the season. Ejuke was on for 90 minutes while Kelechi Iheanacho with five games till date was left on the bench. 

In France, Gift Orban was not dressed for the Lyon’s 2-0 home victory over Nantes who started the game with Moses Simon.

Simon was substituted in the 73rd  minute in his seventh game of the season.

In another tie, Nice were held to a 1-1 by reigning champions, Paris Saint Germain. Super Eagles attacker, Terem Moffi who is still recuperating from injury his yet to recover from his knee injury. 

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In another French topflight tie, Reims thrashed Montpellier 4-2 with Akor Adams playing his seventh game of the season with three goals. He was yellow carded in the 37th minute. 

In Germany, Kevin Akpoguma’s Hoffenheim were held to a 1-1 draw by VfB Stuttgart. Akpoguma who has played in six games this season played for the 90 minutes. 

In Turkey, Victor Osimhen is still out injured but Galatasaray managed to win their game 1-0.

Chuba Akpom notched his second goal of the season in Ajax’s 3-1 victory at home to FC Groningen. 

In Spain, Umar Sadiq was an unused substitute for Real Sociedad in their 1-1 draw at home to Atletico Madrid.

*Madugu  takes over Super Falcons

Nigeria Football Federation  has approved the recommendation of its Technical and Development Sub-Committee for the Federation’s Technical Director, Coach Augustine Eguavoen to continue in his role as Head Coach of the Super Eagles, and lead the team in its 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches against Libya next month.

The 58-year-old, in temporary charge of the squad he had led three times previously, steered the three-time African champions to a 3-0 defeat of Benin Republic and scoreless draw with Rwanda in Matchdays 1 and 2 earlier this month.

Read Also: Ejuke elated over  match-winning goal for Sevilla

Eguavoen and the current technical crew that also includes Fidelis Ilechukwu, Daniel Ogunmodede, Olatunji Baruwa and Tomaz Zorec will also take charge of the Super Eagles B team for the qualifying campaign for next year’s African Nations Championship, otherwise known as CHAN.

With the departure of  Randy Waldrum, the Executive Committee also approved the recommendation of the Technical and Development Sub-Committee for Coach Justin Madugu to lead the remaining technical crew and take charge of the Senior Women National Team, Super Falcons, pending the appointment of a substantive Head Coach.

The Super Falcons’ next big engagement is the Women Africa Cup of Nations finals, taking place in Morocco in the summer of next year.

Vincent Okumagba, President of Super Eagles Supporters Club of Nigeria on Thursday urged the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to consider appointing an indigenous coach to lead the Super Eagles.

Okumagba  said as much in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos, adding it should be the next line of action to move the Super Eagles forward ahead of next qualifying games.

Read Also: Nigerian duo claims Yucateco Boxing Pan-African titles in Uzebba 

German Bruno Labbadia,who was expected to coach the Super Eagles after the resignation of Finidi George, rejected the offer, following  a botched contract

Former Super Eagles defender and Technical Director of NFF, Austin Eguavoen, is in charge of the team in the interim.

Okumagba urged the NFF to look inwards and get the best local coach to secure   the World Cup  and African Cup of Nations (AFCON) tickets for the country.

Benin coach Gernot Rohr has openly admitted the Super Eagles will win Group D of the 2025 AFCON qualifiers and his team’s target is to finish second to also advance to the tournament proper in Morocco.

On Saturday, Rohr saw his former team put up a dominant display at home to win 3-0 and avenge a shock loss to the same Benin in June.

 “We want to finish second in the group,” Rohr said while implying the Super Eagles have the quality to win the group.

He further said the first half stoppage time opening goal by Ademola Lookman unsettled his team, who also missed injured star defender Mohamed Tijani.

 “The goal (Ademola Lookman’s first goal) was a shock for my team,” he said while trying to explain the 3-0 defeat.

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 “We made some defensive mistakes, we must learn from that, but we have a very young team.

 “Now we must have a reaction against Libya on Tuesday.”

He spoke on the absence of Mohamed Tijani.

 “When we miss one, two players it becomes difficult, like Tijani, who is a very important player for us,” said the coach, who admitted they lost to a different Super Eagles from the one they beat in June.

 “The Super Eagles bench is fantastic and we don’t have that.”

The Super Eagles of Nigeria will begin their quest for a spot at 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tomorrow with a must win clash with against West African neighbours Benin Republic at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo.

Under caretaker coach Augustine Eguavoen, the Super Eagles would be seeking vengeance as two goals from Jodel Dossou and Steve Mounie cancelled out Raphael Onyedika’s 27th  minute opener to condemn the Nigerians to a shocking 2-1 defeat in their 2026 World Cup qualifiers in June. 

The stunning defeat by the Cheetahs led to the then-Super Eagles head coach Finidi George’s demotion and eventual resignation, setting off a series of events that left the coaching position in chaos. 

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) attempted to appoint German coach Bruno Labbadia as the new head coach, but the deal fell through due to contractual disagreements. As a result, Eguavoen, on his third stint as coach, was appointed interim coach of the team. The 1994 AFCON winner is now saddled with the daunting task of restoring confidence and leading the Super Eagles back to winning ways after back-to-back poor performances at the last FIFA international window in June. The team aim to bounce back from a recent dip in form that has seen them win just once in their last five matches.

Since losing the 2023 AFCON final to Cote d’Ivoire  in February 2023, the Super Eagles have struggled to regain their winning momentum.

They have suffered defeats to Mali and Benin, drawn against South Africa, and managed only a single win against Ghana.

Head to head, the Super Eagles have met the Cheetahs eight times with the three-time African champions winning six times against their neighbours two wins. Incidentally, the last coach to led the Super Eagles to a World Cup appearance, Gernot Rohr, led the Cheetahs to their famous 2026 World Cup qualifying win in June and the German would be hoping to inflict more misery to his former employers by affecting their qualification to the AFCON although he admitted that Nigeria will be stronger and more difficult to defeat this time around. Incidentally the present caretaker coach replaced the German and failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. 

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 “Nigeria is not a conquered territory, far from it,” he said “We beat them three months ago, so they will certainly have a spirit of revenge, which can be important, and that is normal.”

He continued: “They didn’t have some players who are there now , Ekong the captain, Osimhen who will be there this time and behind them they have Ola Aina. It will be a stronger team than the one we beat in June in Abidjan.”

“We are wary, in addition at home, they have obligations to get a result now after a series of draws and even defeats.

“There was another change of coach that’s it, we will prepare well. It’s not because, we know the opponent that it will be easy to beat them. It will be a difficult match but we will prepare well,” he added. 

Meanwhile, Super Eagles captain William Troost Ekong believes that the team will be unfazed at the prospect of playing against their former coach Gernot Rohr despite the German victory in his first game against his former team since he was sacked in 2021. 

The Al-Khalood of Saudi Arabia star also confirmed the Super Eagles readiness for the game.

“We are ready for the game, playing against Gernot Rohr, a coach that knows us very well, was with us up to five years but we will be ready for the game.”

Immediate past Team Media Officer of the Super Eagles, Babafemi Raji, has  announced the  launch of Topmost Sports, a breakfast  sports programme which made its  debut on Lasgidi, 90.1 FM Lagos on Monday,  September 2.

According  to a release , the show which  airs  between Monday and Friday from 7:15am to 7:55 am, will be anchored  by Raji, popularly known as the Topmost Striker.

“This program promises to deliver unrivalled sports coverage, insights and commentary, that set the standard for sports broadcasting in Nigeria,” the release  further said. 

“Topmost Sports is not just another sports show; it is a benchmark in sports radio broadcasting, and no one does it better than Topmost Striker himself. With a passion for sports and a wealth of experience, i Raji brings a unique blend of expertise and energy that captivates listeners and keeps them coming back for more.”

The promoters of the Topmost Sports,, said  they aimed to bring top-tier sports content to every corner of the nation  thus enhancing the listening experience for sports enthusiasts everywhere.

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“In addition to our radio assets, we are expanding into the digital realm,” the release further stated.

“ Recently, Arsenal FC’s Highbury squad announced one of our digital platforms, Afro Gunners. We encourage all sports fans and especially Arsenal supports to subscribe now at www.highburysquad.com to stay updated with the latest content and exclusive insights.

They added:“ We are also excited to announce that we have secured the rights to stream Nigeria’s upcoming match against Benin Republic live this Saturday. The

match would be available on our soon-to-be unveiled platform, providing fans with high quality streaming and interactive features.”

Only three players are still being expected at the camp of the Super Eagles, as 20 players trained in Uyo on Tuesday evening, ahead of Saturday’s 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match against the Cheetahs of Benin Republic.

Captain William Ekong led from the front, arriving on Monday with the earliest birds, which included defenders Ola Aina, Semi Ajayi, and Olisa Ndah, midfielder Fisayo Dele-Bashiru and forwards Ademola Lookman and Taiwo Awoniyi.

Goalkeeper Amas Obasogie and midfielder Wilfred Ndidi were in tow, and forward Victor Boniface and goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali joined in the evening.

Yesterday, defender Calvin Bassey and midfielders Alex Iwobi and Frank Onyeka pitched in, before defender Benjamin Tanimu (drafted in place of Bright Osayi-Samuel), midfielder Alhassan Yusuf Abdullahi, and forwards Moses Simon and Samuel Chukwueze landed.

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In the evening, just before the team bus pulled out of the hotel for training, defender Bruno Onyemaechi (of Portuguese club Boavista) and midfielder Raphael Onyedika (of Belgian side Club Brugge) arrived in camp.

Forward Kelechi Iheanacho is due in camp on Wednesday while goalkeeper Maduka Okoye and forward Victor Osimhen are being expected tomorrow.

After Saturday’s encounter, the Super Eagles are scheduled to fly to Kigali on Sunday for Tuesday’s Matchday 2 clash with the Amavubi of Rwanda.

Cheetahs of Benin coach, Gernot Rohr, has admitted that Super Eagles under interim  coach Austin Eguavoen can be a  difficult team to beat  than with a new coach after all.

Eguavoen at the weekend was yet again handed the reins of the Super Eagles  after German coach Bruno Labbadia controversially opted out of the contract talk that would have made him the 37th  man to lead the three-time African champions.

As a result, Eguavoen who is the technical Director of Nigeria Football Federation was asked to take charge of the Super Eagles for the upcoming 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches against Benin Republic  in Uyo this Saturday and  next Tuesday against Rwanda  in Kigali.

It will be Eguavoen’s fourth stint in charge of the Super Eagles  after earlier experiences in 2005-2007, 2010 and 2022.

Incidentally, Eguavoen’s last romance with the Super Eagles, between December 2021  and February 2022, ended in tears as he failed to qualify Nigeria for the  Qatar 2022 World Cup, after losing on the away-goal rule to the Black Stars of  Ghana in the Africa Final playoff, as well as at the delayed 2021 AFCON in Cameroun, where the Super Eagles flattered  to deceive   as they lost to Tunisia in the Second Round despite being the only team that  won its  opening  three  preliminary  group matches.

Read Also: Labbadia: Green, Gombe  fault NFF 

Speaking  ahead of  the Nigeria  versus Benin   game in Uyo on Saturday, Rohr said he was not oblivious  of the circumstances behind the handing of the Super Eagles over to Eguavoen , adding that the former  national  team  captain  can rev up  his wards  in order to grind results against Benin and Rwanda.

“I think Eguavoen knows them (the Super Eagles) better  than a new coach,” Rohr, who has managed other Africa’s national teams including Niger, Burkina Faso and Gabon, told NationSports.

He added that Eguavoen’s past failings with the Super Eagles would have little or no bearing on this  weekend  encounter against the  vising Beninese side.

“He surely must have learned  from the two eliminations (for Qatar 2022 and AFCON 2021) and, perhaps, his team could be more dangerous to deal with,” the 71-year-old former Bordeaux trainer, who  led The Cheetahs  to their historic  first  official  victory over Nigeria  last June in Abidjan, noted. 

• Eguavoen. Ilechukwu in, Osimhen expected

The Super Eagles camp in Uyo  is already bubbling with activities  following the arrival of the team’s on-the-field captain  at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations(AFCON)  William Troost-Ekong along with nine others  ahead of the 2025 AFCON double header  against  Benin Republic  and Rwanda.

Ekong , who was sorely missed last June when the Cheetahs of Benin inflicted  a   2-1 defeat on the Super Eagles in a 2026  FIFA world Cup qualifier , was one of the early  birds in Uyo yesterday  along  with Nottingham  Forest striker, Taiwo Awoniyi  and Lazio midfielder, Fisayo Dele-Bashiru.

Others  who have made their way to Uyo include Atalanta Europa Cup hero, Ademola  Lookman,  who was recently linked  to  a move to  French giants, PSG as well  as West Bromwich Albion’s defender Oluwasemilogo Ajayi ; Olaoluwa Aina of Nottingham Forest and Olisa Ndah of Orlando Pirates, South.

Africa).

The early septet  in Uyo were followed by home-based goalkeeper Amas Obasogie  who plies his trade  with  Nigeria  Premier Football League (NPFL)  side, Bendel Insurance  and Leicester City’s midfielder, Wilfred Ndidi  who recently agreed a new three-year deal  with the Foxes. Bayer Leverkusen striker, Victor Boniface  and Chippa United goalkeeper, Stanley Nwabali , swelled the Super Eagles  camp  to  11 before nightfall  yesterday.   

Read Also: Morocco 2025: Ekong, Awoniyi, 22 others to battle Benin, Rwanda

Meanwhile, Super Eagles’ interim manager, Austin Eguavoen  is already in  camp ahead of the team’s  first training session  today .

He was joined  in camp yesterday by  Rangers’ Head Coach, Fidelis Ilechukwu, who was one of the assistants  announced by the NFF  as one of the  coaching assistants to Eguavoen   along with Daniel Ogunmodede of Remo Stars .

In a related development, Super Eagles ace striker, Victor Osimhen  who has been embroiled  with transfer issues  during the  Summer  window , is being expected in camp tomorrow .

The Napoli forward  is expected  to complete a move to Turkish giants, Galatasaray  before hitting Uyo  for the  2025 AFCON Matchday One  encounter against neighbouring  Republic of Benin on Saturday.