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Augustine Eguavoen led the Super Eagles to a flying start in their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign with a convincing 3-0 win over Benin.
Assisted by Rangers International’s coach Fidelis Ilechukwu and Remo Stars head coach Daniel Ogunmodede, the interim coaching crew cooked up a dominant display over Gernot Rohr’s side.
Ademola Lookman put Nigeria ahead with an incredible solo goal in first-half stoppage time, before Galatasaray's new man, Victor Osimhen, doubled the lead with a fine finish in the 78th minute.
However, the Super Eagles were not done, as Lookman scored his second of the game when he headed home a cross from Moses Simon to cap off a fine display.
Here are three tactics we noticed that Eguavoen deployed to help Nigeria secure the win
Constant pressing in the first half
The Super Eagles barely allowed Benin any reasonable breathing space in the game, especially in the first half. Nigeria had 63 percent of the ball compared to Benin’s 37 percent, which was a result of the home team’s solid pressing.
Setting traps for Benin in the second half
The Super Eagles sat a bit deeper in the second half as Benin were chasing the game, which was turned to be a smart approach, as there was now a large space in behind the visitors’ defence to exploit on the counter.
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With Osimhen coming off the bench, the Cheetahs’ defence could not keep up with him due to this space that was now available as a result of Benin’s higher positioning.
Playing wing-backs which helped Lookman get closer to goal
Playing with a three-man defence and two wing backs that bumped forward meant that the wide forwards could play closer to the goal.
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This approach is similar to the one deployed by Gian Piero Gasperini, Lookman’s coach at Atalanta, and he thrived in this setup.
Lookman getting closer to the goal meant he could get off more shots on goal, and he rewarded the coach with a brace.
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