By John Egbokhan
National Under-23 coach, Coach Augustine Eguavoen has attributed their failure to qualify for the football event of the next All Africa Games on the absence of key players  like Obiora Nwankwo, Ahmed Musa, and Rabiu Ibrahim.

Augustine Eguavoen

Speaking moments after Ghana cancelled out a 3-1 first leg deficit with a 2-0 win at the Baba Yara Sports Complex in Kumasi, Eguavoen, a former Super Eagles coach, said that had he played with a complete squad that the story would have been different.

“I feel that we missed some of our key players in this match. I am not saying that the ones that played did not acquit themselves well but if we had a full squad, then we would have had more fighting power to go the extra mile.

“It would have been different if those players were in action today but what can one do when they are not there but to make use of the ones at ones disposal. We have lost and it is time to go back to the drawing board”, added the former Super Eagles defender.

He also vented out his frustration with the ouster of the male team from the All Africa Games race,  noting that it was even more painful that it was Ghana that stopped the Nigerian girls from reaching the Maputo Games.

“We were hoping to make up for our girls failure in the hands of Ghana but now it has happened to us. It is very frustrating. I am very pained that we just could not salvage the situation. But this is football. We learn to lose with equanimity.

“The first goal we conceded from the free kick in the 10th minute, was the turning point for me because it came as a result of our poor wall. That goals altered our plan and we just could not get back into it”, said Eguavoen.