Super Eagles coach Augustine Eguavoen has expressed confidence that Victor Boniface will start scoring for Nigeria once he improves his shot-taking instincts. Boniface, the Bayer Leverkusen star, led the line for Nigeria during their Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Libya at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium on Friday. Eguavoen selected the 23-year-old due to his impressive club form and the absence of Victor Osimhen.
Despite Boniface’s potential, he failed to find the net in the match. He had several opportunities where he could have taken a shot but opted to dribble instead, often getting closed down before he could make a decisive move. This has raised questions about his ability to lead the attack for Nigeria.
In light of Boniface’s performance, Coach Eguavoen came to his defense, stating, “Boniface is a very good striker, a clinical finisher, but he has struggled in national colors.” He acknowledged that players sometimes struggle to convert chances, referencing similar situations in previous matches, like the one against Rwanda. “When you get half chances, players like Romario would toe-poke the ball. But Boniface likes to dress and dress, and then defenders recover. If he decides quickly, Boniface will score a lot of goals.”
Eguavoen’s faith in Boniface remains strong, but the pressure is on the forward to start delivering. With competition from talented strikers like Taiwo Awoniyi and Kelechi Iheanacho, Boniface needs to find his scoring touch soon to retain his place in the starting lineup.
