Nigeria's forward Odion Ighalo celebrates his second goal during the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) Round of 16 football match between Nigeria and Cameroon at the Alexandria Stadium in the Egyptian city on July 6, 2019. Giuseppe CACACE / AFP
Super Eagles coach Gernot Rohr is happy to have Odion Ighalo back in the squad and could start against Cape Verde in Monday’s final group qualifier.
Ighalo, a former Manchester United striker retired after the 2019 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Egypt and now plays for Al Shabab in the Saudi Professional League.
Speaking to Channels Television on Tuesday, Rohr said he is banking on Ighalo’s experience to help Nigeria seal qualification for the final round of qualifiers for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
“We have a young team especially forwards, they are all young. In this department, Ighalo can help us very much. We have a big chance to have two wonder goal scorers – Osimhen and Kelechi,” Rohr said.
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Nigeria leads the group after five matches with 12 points while Cape Verde follows closely with 10 points, and that explains the importance of the encounter in Lagos.
Meanwhile, Super Eagles captain Ahmed Musa has assured Nigerians that the Super Eagles are mature enough to deal with any pressure when taking on the Blue Sharks of Cape Verde in today’s crucial game of Group C of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 qualifying African series.
After a hard-fought 2-0 victory over Liberia in Tangier, the former Leicester City forward confirmed the team has the right mindset to execute the mission.
“There will always be all kinds of pressure when you are out there on the football field, as a professional sportsman or woman,” said Musa. “You just must have strong fibre to cope with the pressure from everywhere, focus on getting the result and get the job done.
“Pressure is never an excuse not to put out your best; sometimes, it helps you to get beyond your level best.”
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