By Esther Egbe
Gernot Rohr says his youthful Nigeria side will “stay humble” as they prepare to take on Argentina in a World Cup winner-takes-all encounter in Group D,National Daily learnt.
Ahmed Musa’s stunning second-half double sealed a 2-0 victory for Nigeria against Iceland, with Gylfi Sigurdsson missing a late penalty as Rohr’s side bounced back from defeat to Croatia.
Victory lifted Nigeria to second place behind already qualified Croatia and a point against Argentina could be enough to secure the Super Eagles a place in the last 16, while a win would guarantee progression.
.
“I said before the World Cup that we’re here to learn, too, and this team will be ready in 2022. This World Cup came too early but we have a good chance to win against Argentina.”
Nigeria switched to 3-5-2 for the Volgograd encounter, with John Obi Mikel – often played as an attacking midfielder – moving to a deeper role, while Victor Moses was utilised at wing-back, although Rohr acknowledged convincing the duo to alter their roles proved difficult.
.
“To get them to do this for their country, it wasn’t easy to convince them, but they did it well.”