Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare, says only a win in Freetown will be acceptable to Nigerians when the Super Eagles take on their Sierra Leonean counterparts in the reverse Group L fixture of the 2022 African Nations Cup qualifiers in Freetown on Tuesday.

The Super Eagles surrendered a four-goal lead in the first leg in Benin last Friday, an unprecedented international collapse by the senior national team, and like most Nigerians, Sports Minister Dare expressed shock and disappointment at the team’s unprecedented meltdown and has demanded a response in Freetown on Tuesday.

“Nigerians have expressed a collective disappointment with the collapse of the team especially in the second half, giving up a 4-0 lead to a team that is ranked 88 times below our biggest football brand, the Super Eagles. I have expressed my disappointment with the result to the team and the Nigeria Football Federation. Like most Nigerians, only a convincing win in Freetown can assuage our feelings and bruised egos. Only a win will be acceptable in Freetown”‘said Sports Minister, Dare, who deferred comments on the suitability or otherwise of Mr Gernot Rohr as manager of the team.

“The task at the moment is to get the team firmly back on track towards picking one of the group’s two tickets on offer for the 2022 AFCON. A win in Freetown will seal a 19th participation in the African mundial. After this, we can now debate Mr Rohr’s suitability as we seek to return Nigeria to the pedestal of African football and one of the beautiful game’s power houses in world football. We will reappraise Mr Rohr’s performance since he was named as Super Eagles manager and see if he is the right man to fulfil our expectations,” said Dare.  

Sierra Leone Football Association president Ishay Johansen has joked that the Leone Stars will gift the Super Eagles just one goal, before going ahead to win the second leg of their Group L 2021 AFCON qualifier in Freetown on Tuesday.

The Leone Stars made a shock comeback by cancelling a 4-0 deficit to draw 4-4 against the Eagles in the reverse tie in Benin on Friday.

They will now hope to record their first win against the Eagles since 2001.