LA Olympics Qualifier: Eguavoen Prioritises Team Structure Ahead Of Comoros Decider

By Saheed Afolabi

Nigeria interim coach, Augustine Eguavoen has revealed the team’s plan ahead of the LA Olympics qualifier second leg game against Comoros at the Remo Stars Stadium, Ikenne on October 13.

The Nigerian side head into the return fixture with a 2-0 advantage from the first leg and will be looking to complete the job and move closer to securing a place at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.

Speaking at the prematch Press Conference, Eguavoen praised the collective effort of his players in the opening encounter, said the team’s approach would remain largely unchanged despite their advantage.

“We won our first game. Because I’ve always told you, football is not an individual sport, it’s collective. Yes, congratulations to Nigeria, congratulations to the entire team,” he said.

The experienced coach added that the Super Falcons would seek another victory on home soil rather than rely solely on their two-goal cushion from the first leg.

“The game plan is still going to be the same; nothing changed. We are home now. We won away. We are enjoying a two-goal advantage, and we try as much as possible to see how we can wrap it up by winning tomorrow’s home game.”

While acknowledging that Nigeria could add to their goal tally, the former Super Eagles coach said, maintaining the team’s structure would be his primary concern.

“Maybe one, maybe two, maybe three, but the good thing is I’m interested in goals, but the structure of the team is what I’m really interested in to start with. But the bottom line is to win, and we try to do that tomorrow.”

Eguavoen also warned against underestimating Comoros, pointing to the quality of their players and their impressive scoring record before the first leg.

According to the Nigerian coach, the Super Falcons expect a challenging encounter despite their advantage, with both teams now having had the opportunity to study each other’s strengths and weaknesses.

“We will change our tactics a little bit to make it easy for us. Mind you, it’s just the name Comoros. Ninety per cent of these players play in France, to start with, and they won their last game before coming here. Thirty-nil, right? Yeah. Thirty-nil, that’s a scary result. Seventeen and then thirteen, so something to worry about.”

However, Eguavoen maintained that Nigeria’s first-leg victory had given his team an advantage heading into the decisive encounter.

“But now, first game is gone, 2-0 to our advantage, so they watched us, but we also watched them. We might expect a difficult game, but we try to see how we can make it easy for ourselves.”

The Super Falcons will be hoping to capitalise on their advantage and take another step towards returning to the women’s football competition at the Olympic Games, having last featured at the Paris 2024 Games.