'I don't know' - Eguavoen keeping his cards close to his chest on whether to start Dele-Bashiru in Libya

Super Eagles interim coach Austin Eguavoen refused to divulge information on whether Fisayo Dele-Bashiru is going to start the second leg of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers next Tuesday.

The Manchester City Academy product was the hero today as he came off the bench, replacing Alex Iwobi and he handed Nigeria the maximum against a resolute Libya side.

Four minutes before stoppage time, he latched onto Moses Simon's pass and struck the ball past the fantastic Murad Al Wuheeshi to hand the home side a well-deserved victory.

His strike against the Mediterranean Knights was his second for the three-time African champions, and he will now be pushing for a start in the return fixture.

Asked about whether the Lazio midfielder will start the return fixture, Eguavoen chose to keep his cards close to his chest, stating that everyone in the team was good enough to start.

“I don't know if he is going to start the return leg. First we have to see how they react to the physio, medical team today," Eguavoen told reporters during Friday evening's post-match presser. 

"Everybody in that team, the twenty-three (players) are capable of starting."

Dele-Bashiru has started three of his five appearances for the Super Eagles and has been in good form.

After registering an assist on his debut against Mozambique, he netted on his cap-tying game against South Africa and put his name on the scoresheet today in a very memorable way to remind Eguavoen of his abilities. 

The midfielder has now helped to brighten Nigeria's chances of qualifying for 2025 AFCON as they have now amassed seven points from their opening three games.

Abdulkareem Abdulhamid

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