Super Eagles head coach Genort Rohr heaped praises on his players after the Nigerian team sealed their spot in the 2019 AFCON tournament with a 1-1 draw against the Bafana- Bafana team at Johannesburg on Saturday.
An own-goal from Bafana defender Buhle Mkhwanaza and an equaliser from Lebo Mothiba ensured both sides shared the points, which was enough for Nigeria to seal qualification for Cameroon 2019.
In a post-match press with SuperSport, Rohr expressed delight at his player performance given the intensity of the game.
He said, “It was a tough match and we played to win but we also did not want to take any risks. We knew that the altitude was high and it will be difficult to match the South Africans in terms of energy – so the payers had to be cautious in how they play.
“We wanted to score more goals in the second half but we couldn’t because the South Africans were also very good and also comfortable at home. They made it difficult for us to play well and they deserve to be with us in the AFCON next year. In all, we are happy that we have qualified with a game left and we did that against a great South African side.”
Meanwhile Bafana Bafana trainer Stuart Baxter believes that his team could have stolen the winner.
“I am disappointed and at the same time proud that we took four points off the Super Eagles. We should have been braver especially in the second half but it seems we were instead nervous. We will fight on against Libya,” he told Supersport.