‘The boys know exactly what’s at stake’ - Eguavoen claims Super Eagles would not joke with the playoff

Nigeria advanced to the crucial playoff round after finishing as one of the best runners-up in the CAF qualifying series. 

The team is now set to face Gabon in a must-win semi-final tie in Rabat, Morocco, as they look to put a difficult qualifying campaign behind them.

The Super Eagles have built momentum with an unbeaten run, including key victories over Lesotho and Benin, to secure a place in the playoff.

Speaking to OGTV, via Soccernet, after Nigeria confirmed its playoff ticket, Eguavoen expressed his excitement and the nation's renewed sense of optimism.

"Of course, everybody’s excited. I’m super excited because we all know what it means to be at the World Cup, and we missed out on the last one," he stated. 

"We’ve put that behind us now—the boys know exactly what’s at stake; all of us do. I like the unity so far from Nigerians, and getting this qualification into the playoffs now, I think we will not toy with it."

"From where we’re coming from, all hope was lost. I didn’t lose hope 100% because I still had a lot of faith and belief in the team," Eguavoen added. 

"The prayer was that some other countries would drop points, which they did, and here we are. Now that God has given us a lifeline again, we have the quality, we have the personnel and we have everything to go for it. I’m 100% confident that we’ll do it."

Should Nigeria overcome Gabon, they will face the winner of the match between Cameroon and DR Congo for a spot in the intercontinental playoffs.