LA Olympics Qualifier: Eguavoen Admits Nervousness Despite Falcons Win Over Comoros

By Saheed Afolabi

Nigeria interim head coach Augustine Eguavoen has admitted he was nervous during the women’s national team Olympic qualifying victory over Comoros at the Remo Stars Stadium, Ikenne.

The Super Falcons, who are chasing a place at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, faced a determined Comoros side that frustrated them in the opening 45 minutes before sealing a 2-0 win in the second half.

Eguavoen said the goalless first half was a source of concern, although he remained convinced that Nigeria would eventually find the breakthrough against their opponents.

Reflecting on his emotions during the encounter, Eguavoen said he would have been satisfied with a draw away from home but believed Nigeria had enough quality to secure a positive result.

“I was nervous to start with because a win, anyway a draw away from home would be good, but for our pedigree and the quality that we have, forget about the name of the nation Comoros, Nigeria,” he said.

“Yes, we played them with utmost respect, but the first-half barren, nil-nil, was a bit worrisome.”

The former Super Eagles coach, however, maintained that Nigeria’s dominance in the opening period gave him confidence that the goals would eventually come.

He acknowledged the effort of the Comoros team but insisted that the Super Falcons demonstrated their superiority as the match progressed.

“I knew at some point we would score, it was just a matter of time, because we were dominating the game from beginning to the end of the first half.

“And I want to say my Comoros team gave a good fight, but we still showed our superiority.”

Despite the victory, the Nigerian tactician identified problems in his team’s attacking play, particularly the delivery of the final ball, as areas requiring immediate attention before the return fixture.

According to him, the Super Falcons were effective in exploiting the flanks but failed to consistently convert their promising attacking movements into clear-cut opportunities.

He explained that inaccurate crosses and overhit deliveries prevented Nigeria’s forwards from making the most of their dominance.

“Defensive third, mid-third, final third was a bit of a challenge if you watched the game properly. And then you see that we broke away from the sides a lot because we have players who are very good in moving from the flank.

“But the final-ball delivery was the problem. I won’t use the word ‘lacklustre.’ Sometimes overhit, and then it goes past everybody.”

Eguavoen disclosed that the coaching crew addressed the shortcomings during the half-time interval, with Nigeria subsequently benefiting from set-piece situations to make the difference.

He added that the team also wasted scoring opportunities from open play, and improving their finishing, attacking combinations would be a priority ahead of the second leg.

“Yeah, we talked about it at the end of the first half. I won’t tell you what we talked about, but we discussed it. And then you could see those goals came from set pieces from the side, but our build-up players also missed a couple of goals in front of goal.

“So it’s something we’re going to work on and make sure we perfect before the second leg.”

The Super Falcons will now turn their attention to the return leg, where they will aim to build on their first leg advantage and move closer to securing qualification for the 2028 Olympic Games.