AFCON: Rohr praises team after drawing goal with SA
Super Eagles coach, Gernot Rohr, seems pleased with his players after qualifying for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations with a 1-1 draw with South Africa in Johannesburg on Saturday.
Nigeria played 1-1 in the first of their fifth match of the 2019 AFCON qualifiers.
An own-goal from Bafana defender Buhle Mkhwanaza and an equaliser from Lebo Mothiba ensured both sides shared the points, which was enough for Nigeria to seal qualification for Cameroon 2019.
The 1-1 draw on Saturday at the FNB Stadium, meant that Nigeria are unbeaten in the AFCON qualifiers in 2018. The Eagles will play Seychelles in their last qualifier in March 2019.
In an interview with Supersport after the match, he said:
“It was a tough match and we played to win but we also did not want to take any risks. We knew that the altitude was high and it will be difficult to match the South Africans in terms of energy – so the payers had to be cautious in how they play.
“We wanted to score more goals in the second half but we couldn’t because the South Africans were also very good and also comfortable at home. They made it difficult for us to play well and they deserve to be with us in the AFCON next year. In all, we are happy that we have qualified with a game left and we did that against a great South African side.”
South Africa coach Stuart Baxter believed his team could have won the game.
“I am disappointed and at the same time proud that we took four points off the Super Eagles. We should have been braver especially in the second half but it seems we were instead nervous. We will fight on against Libya,” he told Supersport.
