AFCON qualifier: What coach Eguavoen said after Super Eagles beat Benin 3-0

Caretaker coach of the Super Eagles of Nigeria, Augustine Eguavoen has said the Nigerian senior national football team have the calibre of players and can adopt any formation and be successful.

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TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports Eguavoen said this shortly after the Super Eagles thrashed Les Guepards of Benin Republic 3-0 at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State on Saturday.

Eguavoen opted for a 3-4-3 formation in the qualifiers against Benin Republic for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) scheduled for Morocco. The Super Eagles beat Benin Republic 3-0 using 3-4-3 formation.

Speaking during the post match presser along with captain William Troost-Ekong, Eguavoen said: “The formation is only information. We have players of quality, and we can decide to play with any system. There is something we discussed, and I slept over it, and I know that with the calibre of players we have, we can decide to play any formation and be successful.

“The players are always there, and when much is expected by Nigerians, that is when you see them performing. We have been getting a lot of backlash, and the boys didn’t know this. And we know we have the calibre and quality to beat any team, but we have to respect teams anyway.

“So anybody can come here and do the same thing. It’s the mindset, and we have the potential, but it is how you check out your opponent and give information [to players], and then they will go out and do the job”.

Watch excerpts from the post match presser below:

TNG reports the SUper Eagles who had lost 1-2 to Benin Republic in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers in Abidjan, Cote d’ Ivoire in June took the lead in added time of first half. Ademola Lookman put Nigeria ahead after going past four defenders before placing beyond the goalkeeper.

Victor Osimhen who replaced Victor Boniface in the 72nd minute, scored the second goal for the Super Eagles in the 78th minute, slicing in a well-calculated pass from Wilfred Ndidi. Lookman went on to add the third goal in the match’s closing minutes to comfortably place the Super Eagles in their group ahead of their next match on Tuesday in Kigali.

With this victory, the Super Eagles have put a stop to their three-match winless run at home after whitewashing Sao Tome and Principe  6-0 in September 2023. Nigeria will take on hosts Rwanda in their next group game in Kigali on Tuesday.