The German tactician is pleased with the showing from his side against the Leone Stars in Freetown
Nigeria national team coach Gernot Rohr has expressed his satisfaction with the Super Eagles’ 0-0 draw against Sierra Leone on Tuesday.
The three-time African champions laboured to a second consecutive draw against the 120th-ranked team in the world in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifying game.
The first outing with the Leone Stars in Benin City ended in a 4-4 draw, despite the Super Eagles racing to a 4-0 lead in the encounter.
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Rohr and his side have been criticized by fans for the uninspiring displays but the German tactician has defended his team, explaining there are no more minors in African football.
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“It’s a long time that we had a goalless defence and we wanted to be solid after what happened in the second half the other day and I am especially very happy for our goalkeeper who showed to everybody that he is a good one,” Rohr told the media.
“We have a young team and it was a shock the other day after the injury of Victor Osimhen, everybody was afraid.
“They wanted to fight for him, they did it, they fought very well and I think that this draw keeps us top of the table, we have to play another two games now against Benin and Lesotho.
“Normally, it is not official, but we are very close now to qualification, we saw also the result of Benin who played a draw in Lesotho. All the games are difficult, there are no little opponents.”
Despite the draws, Nigeria still maintain their lead on the top of the Group L table with eight points from four games.
They will hope for a favourable result when they take on the Republic of Benin and Lesotho in their next qualifying game for a chance to seal a place in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon.
The Super Eagles players and officials have returned to Nigeria after their game against Sierra Leon in Freetown.
We are back in town! #SoarSuperEagles #Team9jaStrong pic.twitter.com/kCr1U1M1qv
— 🇳🇬 Super Eagles (@NGSuperEagles) November 18, 2020
Rohr has been in charge of the Super Eagles since 2016 and guided the side to a third-place finish at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.
