Nigeria's interim coach, Augustine Eguavoen, has explained why he delayed substituting midfielder Wilfred Ndidi during the second half of their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Benin Republic on Saturday, Nigeriasoccernet.com reports.
Ndidi, who paired with Alex Iwobi in midfield, put in a strong performance but began to show signs of fatigue. Despite signaling to the bench to be substituted, Eguavoen left him on the pitch until the 80th minute, when he was replaced by Raphael Onyedika.
Eguavoen revealed at his post-match press conference that he wanted to ensure Onyedika was fully warmed up before introducing him into the game.
"From the beginning of the second half, I told six players to warm-up, Onyedika was among them," Eguavoen said. "But we have to buy time, you don't have to rush into changes because Benin Republic today surprised me, a very good team."
Eguavoen praised Benin Republic's performance, saying they were a better team than the one he faced in Abidjan.
"I watched them against us in Abidjan, they were not as good as this, so they came with a good game plan, today's performance for them was very okay," he said.
The coach's decision to leave Ndidi on the pitch ultimately paid off, as the midfielder provided an assist for Victor Osimhen's goal. Nigeria went on to win the match 3-0, thanks to Ademola Lookman's brace and Osimhen's strike.
By Olujimi Dare Ogun