By Wale Mustapha
Interim head coach of Nigeria’s Super Eagles, Augustine Eguavoen, has expressed frustration with the recent performances of Kelechi Iheanacho and Victor Boniface, despite handing both players starting roles in Nigeria’s 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier against Rwanda on Monday.
Both players struggled to make an impact in the match, with Boniface playing 89 minutes and Iheanacho featuring for the first 45 minutes of the game. While Eguavoen acknowledged their potential, he stressed the importance of continued support and improvement for both players.
“Kelechi Iheanacho is an asset to the national team; he needs some encouragement,” Eguavoen said in the post-match press conference in Uyo. “We spoke with him, and I told him he would start and play for 45 minutes.”
On Boniface, who was also underperforming, Eguavoen revealed that he has had multiple conversations with the striker but feels that he has done enough to support him.
“I have spoken with Boniface several times; I have done enough. He is important to this team,” the coach added.
Despite the disappointing 1-0 loss to Rwanda, Nigeria finished top of Group D in the AFCON qualifiers, securing their place in the next round of the competition. Eguavoen remains hopeful that continued encouragement will help Iheanacho and Boniface raise their performances for the Super Eagles moving forward.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
