'We had to do that' - Eguavoen explains why Ndidi was replaced by box-to-box midfielder Onyeka 

Super Eagles' interim boss Augustine Eguavoen has explained the reason behind substituting Wilfred Ndidi during the Super Eagles' barren draw with Rwanda in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

The Leicester City midfielder was replaced with Frank Onyeka 20 minutes before the end of the stoppage time, with Nigeria searching for the breakthrough in the clash.

Ndidi was one of the best players on the pitch, creating the first big chance of the second half when he delivered a precise pass to the feet of Moses Simon, but the FC Nantes forward couldn't find the back of the net.

His substitution came as a surprise, particularly considering the number of minutes left on the clock and with the West African side needing to have their best players on the pitch to secure the maximum points.

Speaking in his post-match conference, Eguavoen detailed the reason behind replacing the Foxes' midfielder with Onyeka who he felt had to be brought on to give more energy to the team.

"We were all over the place, so in as much that we were possessing the ball, we weren't imposing any threat either and Ndidi has worked tirelessly," Eguavoen explained. 

"For us to bring in more energy and balance in the team, we had to do that and you all know Onyeka is a box-to-box player, he wasn't instructed to stay there, once we go up there, you could see, go take the tape and watch.

"Few times, he went pass opponents up there , he is got a lot of energy, so he can run box-to-box. 

"When the action is over, he is back in his position also."

To Eguavoen's credit, Onyeka didn't do badly when he came on as he kept surging forward to give more numbers in attack and at the same time tracking back to prevent counterattacks.

Abdulkareem Abdulhamid

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