‘They wasted over 15 minutes’ – Eguavoen reacts to Libya’s delaying tactic

Nigeria’s interim coach Augustine Eguavoen was on media duties shortly after the Super Eagles labored to a 1-0 win over Libya in a 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium on Friday evening.

An 86th minute goal from super sub Fisayo Dele-Bashiru meant the Super Eagles were saved from an embarrassing draw.

Eguavoen has accused the Libyans of using unsportsmanlike tactics to frustrate the Super Eagles, noting that they wasted almost fifteen minutes in the second half.

Although he was impressive before being finally beaten by Dele-Bashiru, the Libya goalkeeper Murad Al Wuheeshi went down a lot of times, what is described in modern football as dark arts.

At the slightest tough, Murad Al Wuheeshi of Libya seemingly faked an injury and was booked by Malawian referee Godfrey Nkhakananga for time wasting during the game.

In response to the Mediterranean Knights’ repeated time-wasting, the referee gave them a taste of their own medicine by adding just four minutes of stoppage time, much to the dismay of the Libyan players who confronted him at the end of the game.

Asked to share his thoughts on the Libyans using delay tactics , Eguavoen in an interview with Diaspora Digital Media Correspondent at the stadium, replied, “I should think so. We have a time keeper also in the name of Thomas. Actually they wasted like fourteen, fifteen minutes out of the 45 minutes which is not so good.

“They are a good side. You can see that they move the ball if they wanted to move, but now trying to bring such strategies, I don’t think it’s a good thing. They should just play normally.

“When we scored the late goal, they came out. Maybe they over-respected us. They thought probably if they come out initial stage they’re going to get a lot of goals behind them. I don’t know if that’s the way they want to play.”

After three matches in AFCON qualifying, Nigeria lead the way with seven points in Group D, followed by Gernot Rohr’s Benin who have won the last two matches after losing their opener to the Super Eagles.

Match summary

Nigeria defeated Libya 1-0, with the winning goal was scored by Fisayo Dele-Bashiru in the 86th minute, after coming off the bench.

This match was part of the AFCON 2025 qualifiers, and Nigeria now leads Group D with seven points from three games.

The game was closely contested, with Libya employing a defensive strategy, but Nigeria’s Moses Simon provided the crucial assist for Dele-Bashiru’s goal.

Ademola Lookman also had a goal disallowed for offside, although replays showed he was onside.

This win is a significant boost for Nigeria’s chances of qualifying for AFCON 2025.

The two teams will face each other again on Tuesday in Benina for their next group stage match.

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