Super Eagles coach Augustine Eguavoen has stated that Victor Boniface will start scoring goals for Nigeria when he begins to get his shots off quickly, Soccernet.ng reports.
Bayer Leverkusen star Boniface led the line for Nigeria when they took on the Mediterranean Knights of Libya at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in their Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers on Friday. Eguavoen opted for the 23-year-old due to his fine form at club level and Victor Osimhen’s absence.
However, Boniface failed to score. The Bayer Leverkusen forward had a few occasions where he could have shot, but he decided to dribble to get a good look at goal. Unfortunately for him, he was often closed down before he could carry out his plans.
Due to his low goal returns for Nigerians, his ability to lead the line has been questioned on different occasions. Nonetheless, coach Eguavoen has always backed him.
Following Boniface’s disappointing show on Friday, Eguavoen rose to defend him again.
“Boniface is a very good striker, a clinical finisher, but he has struggled in national colors,” Eguavoen said after the Libya showdown.
“Sometimes, these chances don’t come. I remember it happened in Rwanda just like today. 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 on time, Boniface will score a lot of goals.”
Boniface has to start scoring goals for the Super Eagles soon. Otherwise, he could lose his shirt to other decent strikers like Taiwo Awoniyi and Kelechi Iheanacho.
