‘Nigeria treading easy route to Morocco 2025 AFCON’
Many followers of African football could be wondering why the tag of Super Eagles’ Group D of the Africa Cup of Nations qualifying series is an easy route after just two rounds of matches. Well, it is deliberate because going by the contending teams’ pedigree and the results of the teams’ first two matches, on paper, it looks like only a miracle can stop the Super Eagles from strolling leisurely into the Morocco 2025 boat.
Nigeria leads the group with four points from two matches; the Super Eagles will meet a “disorganised” Libya in their next two games, beginning with today’s game in Uyo.
Judging by the current state of the teams, the Super Eagles are expected to get the six points from today’s game and the second encounter on October 15, in Benina, off Benghazi.
After that, Nigeria’s next games are against Benin Republic away in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, and at home in Uyo against Rwanda. The horizon cannot look easier than this. But this is football where miracles laced with thunderbolts strike every so often.
In football, as they say, nothing is given until after the 90 minutes. Libya looks so easy and just there to be torn apart by the Eagles going by stories of players’ revolt and mutual suspicion among the officials on the eve of the game in Uyo.
On arrival in Uyo on Tuesday for today’s game, Libya’s coach, Nasser Al-Hadhiri, told reporters that his team is not quite ready for the game, saying that most of the players are new to the side.
The coach, who is also new to the team having taken over from Serbia’s Milutin Sredojevic following Libya’s poor showings in their opening two games against Rwanda and Benin Republic, said that he is hoping to put together a side that can at least earn a draw in Uyo.
The Libyans will parade a largely home-based side in the injury-forced absence of their highest-rated star, Ali Youssef, who plays for Tunisia’s Club Africain.
Al-Hadhiri said: “We have not yet reached the required readiness to face a strong opponent the size of Nigeria. We realize that winning against Nigeria is difficult, but we seek to return with a draw that will be positive for us and restore our hope in competing for qualification.”
He added: “The team was not in good shape before I took over. The absence of several players in our first training sessions has made it difficult to establish a comprehensive tactical plan for the match.
“This lack of preparation presents an additional challenge for the team, who will need to put in extra effort to secure a positive result away from home. We aim to return with a draw to keep our qualification hopes alive.”
In football, such confessions sometimes deceive the opponent into treating a game with kid gloves only to find out that they have been conned when the game begins.
Interestingly, Super Eagles’ Interim Coach, Austin Eguavoen, after reading through the Libyans’ script said that Nigeria will approach the game as if it were a World Cup final.
“We have to be practical about it; our best and surest route to the finals will be to pick up the six points in the matches with Libya, and be somewhat guaranteed a place in Morocco even before Match Day 5. We don’t want to be in any anxiety in the run-in in this qualifying campaign,” Eguavoen told thenff.com.
“I admit we will miss Victor (Osimhen), but I believe in the other strikers available to get us the goals that will give us the three points in Uyo, and the three points in Libya.”
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