“We will play with full strength” – Eguavoen throws down the gauntlet to Super Eagles’ potential knockout stage opponents

The Super Eagles confirmed their rating as an Afcon 2021 favourite with their third consecutive victory at the Afcon tournament on Wednesday

Coach Augustine Eguavoen has pointed at the Super Eagles’ decent performance against Guinea-Bissau to indicate that Nigeria meant business at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon.

The Eagles’ disciplined and efficient display against the African Wild Dog was crowned by two second-half goals from Umar Sadiq and William Troost-Ekong.

That win follows two equally impressive victories over two former Afcon champions, Egypt and Sudan.

With the Super Eagles finishing top of Group D, they are billed to face any third-place team from Group B, E, or F.

That opponent is still undecided, but it could be defending champions Algeria, Tunisia, or Malawi.

Should the Eagles progress beyond the Round of 16, they could meet Senegal, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, or Morocco en route to the final.

These are mouthwatering clashes that could provide sterner tests to Nigeria’s title credentials. Still, Eguavoen is confident he has a team that will underrate no one, as shown by their output against the Wild Dogs.

“For instance, if you see today’s game and like I said before, Guinea-Bissau is a very strong team. They were no pushovers at all,” said Eguavoen after the encounter, as per Modo. 

“So, they gave us a run for the money, but at the end of the day, we were able to get those two goals, and I am very satisfied with the performance.

“The most credit must go to the players for doing everything we told them to do.”

The Super Eagles’ strength in depth was evident for all to see on Wednesday night as Eguavoen played with eight players who were earning their first starts in the competition.

Nigeria still tried to play on the front foot again, keeping possession well and getting numbers into the opponent’s box.

And Eguavoen insists his charges will stick to their style of football, regardless of the opposition placed in front of them.

He said, “we will always respect our opponents, we will play them with full strength, and we will play them the way we play with anybody.”

The Super Eagles made Afcon 2021 record with the victory over the African Wild Dog, becoming the only team to win all three matches in the competition’s group stage.

The three-time continental champions will next face the third-placed team from Group B, E, or F in a round of sixteen clash on Sunday, January 23.