National Teams
“A tactical blunder puts Super Eagles’ World Cup hopes in jeopardy” – Odegbami
Published
10 months agoon
By: Dayo Awoniyi
Nigerian football legend, Segun Odegbami, has criticized Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle for what he described as a “tactical blunder” that resulted in a shocking 1-1 draw with Zimbabwe during their crucial World Cup qualifier.
Odegbami questioned Chelle’s decision to substitute Victor Osimhen, Nigeria’s most reliable striker, with newcomer Boniface, who is yet to score for the national team.
“If any player was likely to score, it would be Osimhen,” Odegbami remarked.
The substitution, made in the 90th minute, appeared to disrupt the team’s momentum, leaving them vulnerable to Zimbabwe’s late push. With Nigeria leading 1-0, the team should have either pushed for another goal or reinforced their defense. Instead, they seemed to lose focus, allowing Zimbabwe to dictate the closing stages of the match.
In the dying moments of the game, Zimbabwe capitalized on Nigeria’s defensive lapse and scored the equalizer, a well-executed pass catching William Troost-Ekong out of position as the last line of defense.
Odegbami lamented, “The draw has put Nigeria’s World Cup qualification hopes in jeopardy. Coach Chelle needs to regroup and reassess his team’s strategy to get their campaign back on track.”
