SUPER Eagles head coach Gernot Rohr has urged Nigerians to temper their celebrations over yesterday's victory against Algeria in Uyo as qualification for the 2018 World Cup is still far from secure despite the team winning its two opening games.
Yesterday, the Eagles beat the Desert Foxes of Algeria 3-1 at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium to secure six points from their first two matches. Having won the first leg 2-1 away to Zambia, Nigeria is now in pole position to qualify for Russia 2018, especially as Cameroon and Zambia could only manage a 1-1 draw in Limbe, close to the Nigerian border.
After two games, Nigeria tops the group with six points, followed by Cameroon with two, while Algeria and Zambia have a point each. Thanks to goals from the Chelsea duo of Victor Moses who found the back of the net twice and Mikel Obi who scored just before half time, Nigeria has established a clear lead, leading many fans to believe that qualification is already in the bag.
However, Mr Rohr has warned that celebrations should be put on hold for now, as there are more matches to play in the qualification race. Since Mr Rohr took over managing the Eagles in August, the Eagles have won all the four games they have played during which he has been in charge but he is cautioning that it is not yet uhuru.
Mr Rohr said: “We have a friendly against Egypt in Dubai in January, which will enable me to look at the home–based players but I will continue to monitor the European–based players and we will see how we get matches for them on Fifa free dates. I praise the players for their spirit, for their dedication and for their discipline, as they all did very well and I am happy at their output.”
There will now be a break in the qualification series until next year when Nigeria will play Cameroon home and away in Uyo and Limbe. If the Eagles win both matches, World Cup qualification is more or less secured.
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