Nigeria was dismissed from the AFCON on Sunday in Garoua, Cameroon, after losing 0-1 to Tunisia.
The North Africans will now face the Stallions of Burkina Faso in the competition’s quarter-finals on the same Stade Roumde Adjia pitch in Garoua.
During the post-match press conference, Eguavoen blamed his team’s elimination from the 2021 AFCON in Cameroon on bad officiating.
He added that his players fought a good fight.
“We tried to come back after the Tunisia goal, and we chased the game. But then we got a red card.
“It was clear that the officiating wasn’t fair,” the coach said.
He however disclosed that he had told the players to quickly put the loss behind them and face the job at hand in March.
”I have told the players to pick up and ensure they qualify Nigeria for the World Cup,” Eguavoen said.
He however pointed out that it was always very difficult when you play against a tactical side like Tunisia, especially when the officiating was not fair.
“I won’t criticize the referee because they are masters of the game, but Alex Iwobi’s red card wasn’t fair. The foul wasn’t an intentional one,” the coach added.
The Super Eagles will now look forward to the 2022 FIFA World Cup African Zone playoffs in March against Ghana.
