Nigeria boss: We won’t peak for years
Nigeria coach Gernot Rohr believes his team will not peak for another four years despite his side’s 2-0 win against Group D rivals Iceland.
Leicester striker Ahmed Musa’s clinical second-half double kick-started Nigeria’s World Cup after an opening defeat to Croatia.
The Super Eagles’ win means they (on three points), Argentina, who they face in their final match, and Iceland (one point each) still have a chance of progressing.
“What I like in my young team is humility, solidarity and fighting spirit,” Rohr said. “Before this World Cup we were here to learn. I think this team will be ready in 2022 and this World Cup is coming early, but we have a good chance to win against Argentina.”
A win would take Nigeria through to the knockout stage, while a draw will be enough providing Iceland do not beat group leaders Croatia by a big enough margin. Musa, drafted into Rohr’s starting line-up, ignited an uninspiring game. He brilliantly fired Nigeria into a 49th-minute lead and the hit the crossbar before adding a second with another excellent goal in the 75th minute.
“I think scoring against Argentina isn’t that difficult for me,” Musa said. “We know the importance of the game. It’s do or die, we have to win.”
Iceland coach Heimir Hallgrimsson remained upbeat despite seeing Everton midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson miss an 83rd-minute penalty.
“It’s strange that we are still in the race,” Hallgrimsson said. “We only need to beat Croatia, which is easier to say than do. They’ve had two really good performances.”