Eagles land in Rubavu for Guinea

Super Eagles arrived in Rubavu, Rwanda on Sunday for their last Group C match against Guinea at the 2016 African Nations Championship.

The Eagles need just a draw to move to the quarterfinals but the players are confidently angling for a win as they say they want to keep their fans happy especially Nigerians based in the East African country.

The team Media Officer, Toyin Ibitoye, confirmed that the players checked into Gorilla Hotel on Sunday. The match against Guinea will be played on Tuesday, simultaneously with the game between Tunisia and Niger in Kigali.

Also on Sunday, Ivory Coast booked their place in the quarterfinals of the tournament with a 4-1 win over Gabon in their final Group A game, as hosts Rwanda, who had already qualified, were thrashed 4-1 by Morocco.

The results left the Ivorians second in the standings – level on points with Rwanda – who finished top of the table having beaten Ivory Coast in their opening game. Despite their big win, Morocco were eliminated along with Gabon.

Meanwhile, former international, Tajudeen Disu, called for a stronger performance from the Eagles in their attacking area to boost their chances of winning the championship.

The Eagles last Friday at the Stade du Kigali drew 1-1 against Tunisia to retain their spot at the top of Group C with four points. They had earlier defeated Niger 4-1 in their first match of the tournament to secure their first three points.

Disu implored the attackers to work harder to enable them to win their next match and also the championship. The former Abiola Babes player, who spoke with our correspondent on Saturday, said the Eagles attackers need help from the midfielders for the goals to come, adding that Chisom Chikatara, who has scored four goals in the tournament, can do more.

He said, “Playing as a striker and a midfielder are two different things. The midfielder will create the chances for the striker to convert. The strikers faced a better defence against Tunisia than they did against Niger and so they struggled for the goals.

“The Eagles team have a good number of strikers but I think they need more help from the midfielders. Chikatara has the skills of a striker but he can’t do it all alone because the defenders will crowd him out if he has to come to the midfield for balls.

“The hallmark of the Eagles has always been a strong attack line complemented by an equally strong midfield.”