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Former Super Eagles striker, Benedict Akwuegbu, talks about why the Eagles lost the 2023 AFCON final, his playing days, and why he was nicknamed the ‘Austrian Bomber’ by fans in this exclusive interview with JOHNNY EDWARD
How did you feel when Nigeria lost the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations final to Ivory Coast?
I felt bad because it was not the result we were expecting after going one goal up. It reminds me of how the Eagles lost the AFCON final at home to Cameroon in 2000. It was very painful. After a decent first half, we sat back too deep defending and allowed the Ivorians to come at us and they got the equaliser and went on to seal the win with another goal.
What do you think went wrong in the final?
We were not so strong in midfield, which was a big problem for the team at the tournament. We didn’t keep the ball well enough and we played with a lone striker, Victor Osimhen. In a final like that, Osimhen needed a support striker to get the best out of him to wreak more havoc, so that when the ball gets forward they can keep it and try to create something and score. The midfielders were far from the forwards, which gave room to the Ivorians to dictate the pace of the game and create scoring chances. We didn’t have a creative midfielder that could have dictated the pace and tempo of the game, unlike the Ivorians who had players holding onto possession of the ball. We have a lot of work to do going forward. Some of us saw this coming from the quarter-finals against Angola and in the semi-finals against South Africa. The South Africans played better than us but we won. We were lucky in some of the games we played. We struggled against Angola and it was obvious. A good team should be winning by two to three goals, that shows the difference. We also need more strikers as we only have Osimhen. I was expecting to see Kelechi Iheanacho start the final game because he has the quality to create chances and score goals as well. But from the look of things we didn’t have another plan other than what we deployed from the second game. You could see that when he (Iheanacho) came on late in the second half, he showed flashes and tried to create chances and score, which we barely did before his introduction. The likes of Ademola Lookman, Samuel Chukwueze and Moses Simon were well-studied and marked out but we could not counter their strategy. We need players like Gift Orban to pair Osimhen, who carried too much pressure at this tournament and this should not have happened. The system we adopted at this tournament was responsible for our lack of goals. We were too predictable. We have to go back to our traditional style of attacking football, which worked for us. The Eagles that played at the AFCON were not the team I expected to see.
So, how do you view the Ivorians triumph after almost crashing out of the tournament from the group stage?
That’s football, it happens very well in football. The Ivorians fought and deserved to win. Against Nigeria, they put in all they had to win the game in the final, unlike when we both met in the group stage, which they lost. The Ivorians fought like lions in the final, which our boys didn’t do. Despite trailing in the final they kept pushing until they got the equaliser and the winner.
Would you say the sacking of coach Jean-Louis Gasset was a turning point for Ivory Coast?
I believe so. You see, football is business, it is only in Nigeria that we don’t see it as such. The Ivorians knew it and took drastic steps. If a coach is not doing well, you sack him and bring somebody else. In the English Premier League, the Bundesliga and Serie A, that’s how it’s done.
You were a member of the Golden Eaglets at the 1989 World Youth Championship in Scotland, but you never made a single appearance. What happened?
I can’t say what happened but I was the youngest player in that team and was in Form 2 at St. Mulumba’s College, Jos then. The coach then late Sebastian Brodericks-Imasuen scouted me while I was playing a school match against Air Force Secondary School. He invited me to the national U-16 team, which was a huge step for me and I can’t forget that. My appearance at the World Cup in Scotland served as a stepping stone to greatness in my football career. After the U-17 World Cup in 1989 I was signed on by Mighty Jets of Jos for a fee of N5000. And I must tell you my brother that was the beginning.
How did you feel being signed for such amount back then?
I was not only signed for N5,000, I also earned a salary of N800. That was a very huge amount of money then you will say. I was earning more than my class teacher then, but I didn’t let that get into my head, rather it spurred me to put in my best to justify the huge fee paid for my signature. and my performance saw me join RC Lens in France.
You were nicknamed the ‘Austrian Bomber’ by fans in Austria. What gave birth to this name?
Yes, I was the highest goal scorer in the league then. I was also the best foreign player ever to play in Austria and I scored fantastic goals. I scored so many spectacular goals against teams like Monaco, Bayern Munich and a host of other big clubs in the Champions League back then.
You were invited to the Austrian national team at the peak of your playing career but rejected the offer, why?
In 1999, I was invited to the Austrian national team, but I chose to play for Nigeria. I was born in Jos and I started my football career there. I love Jos, I love Nigeria. Nigeria made me. So it was easy for me to choose Nigeria because I thought playing for my country of birth would be a show of my patriotism, loyalty and love I have for Nigeria.
Do you have any regrets playing for Nigeria?
I enjoyed playing for Nigeria and I never regretted doing so. I served this country for 19 years. I played for the Golden Eaglets, Flying Eagles, U-23 team and the Super Eagles. I went on to make over 40 appearances for the Eagles and I scored 10 goals. I played at the World Cup and Nations Cup. I won silver and bronze medals with Nigeria at the Nations Cup. I also captained the Eagles in a friendly match against Japan and Romania in friendly matches. Those were great moments for me as a player for Nigeria.
What are you into lately?
I’m currently studying football management at Anglia Ruskin University in London. I’m also into football coaching, I have my coaching badges. I was the first black football manager in Austria and I would like to replicate my record as a coach in Nigeria. I have played the game and I have studied it. I want to contribute my quota and ideas too to restore our football glory.
Were you a victim of racism as a coach and as a player?
Not really. But sometimes the fans make racist chants, shouting and calling you names, but it doesn’t bother me.
What was your most memorable moment as a footballer?
That will be my first cap for the Eagles against Tunisia in 2000. It was a memorable feat for me. Against so many odds, I was selected to represent Nigeria at the AFCON hosted by us but it was painful we lost.
What was it like playing alongside Austin Okocha, Finidi George, Nwankwo Kanu and Taribo West?
It was fun for me because I learnt a lot from them. We were unfortunate not to have won that AFCON but that squad will go down as the best I played with.