By: Christopher Emenyonu
Super Eagles’ return to Uyo was a fun-filled, satisfying one as players and fans enjoyed the night with goals and lots of jubilation during the AFCON 2023 qualifier.
Poster boy Victor Osimhen increased his goal tally for the Super Eagles to 20 with a hat trick on the night, leaving him 17 goals behind the record holder, late Rashidi Yekini – 37 goals.
Taiwo Awoniyi also bagged his second goal in the Super Eagles color with new boy Victor Boniface, also involved in the goals as he assisted Samuel Chukwueze.
The result came as a dividend of hard work for Jose Peseiro, who, during the training sessions kept scolding and yelling, “Don’t just shoot, score!” at the attackers every time their efforts went wide.
And it is also mission accomplished as Victor Boniface, Taiwo Awoniyi, and Bruno Onyemeachi all got their time in the green and white colors.
AFCON 2023: Victor Osimhen and Victor Boniface are our best legs.
The match against São Tomé and Principe was a dead rubber match. Hence, there were a lot of opinions that Jose Peseiro did not have to invite the usual players or perhaps give the NPFL more chances in the national team.
But in his defense, the gaffer, who just signed a new contract, claimed that “for every game, we need to invite our best game.”
“If we keep clamoring and changing our players, how do we improve as a team. We need to keep our team to keep going. I see a lot of good local players but then we need to invite our best legs every time.”
Jose Peseiro and his team will need all the consistency and improvement ahead of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers beginning in November and the 2023 African Cup of Nations hosted by Cote d’Ivoire in January 2024.