Rivers United Coach Stanley Eguma spoke after his team’s resounding 5-0 win over Al Nasr Benghazi on Wednesday.
The manager was asked about the team’s performance, goals, Bolaji Sakin’s contribution, tactical switch and the impact of the lose in Morocco.
On general team’s performance, he said “It was a sweet victory. We actually planned for this win, we planned for success especially after our game in Morocco where we had a very sad experience. We knew we had to put in enough, more than our capacity for us to be able to cross this huddle and today, the team has proven that we had put in hard work to come into the game”
On Al Nasr approach to the game, he said “From the onset, our opponents showed good flashes, very good team play but it didn’t last long before we took over proceedings and we went straight into our tactical plans which gave us the early goals especially in the first half where we scored three goals. I think the players played to instructions”
On how the impact of the last game affected the team, he noted that ”The sad incidence that happened in Morocco was a tonic, it gingered the team, made them (players) to work harder for us to achieve this victory but i want to say we have started the race, its not over, we know its two legged affair, we have crossed the first huddle, the second huddle is also forthcoming and we looking forward to that game”
On the team scoring form, Eguma noted that “No two games are the same, when we played against Wydad we scored two goals here and in this game, we scored five goals. They are two different teams and two different occasions. Though that does not make Al Nasr Benghazi a bad team. Like i said in the beginning, they came with a tactics that would have fetched them a good result but we countered it because we had been training. Having lost six zero to Wydad in the second leg, it was a big embarrassment to the team and to the country and we felt that the only way we could do was to respond immediately erasing that sorrowful defeat and today (Wednesday) we almost achieved that but i still believe its not yet over. We were more clinical today unlike against Wydad. Not that we did not get chances to score against Wydad, we had those chances but one thing is to get those chances, but it’s another thing to convert them. Our conversation rate today was better and higher than against Wydad. That’s just the difference”.
On different game plan in the second half, he “We knew that early in the game that our opponents before they will settle down we needed to punish them and that’s what we did. In the first half, we got three goals. Second half, they came back stronger, they had understood the game, pitch and terrain. They were coming on counter attacks so we tried to absorb their pressure and also push forward. It was not like we slowed down in the second half. We were able to score two goals. It does not show poor attack, it was just like we were being cautious. We didn’t want them to score a goal here. That was part of our tactical plans. Not to allow them score any goal. In the second half, when the came forcefully up front, we had to diffuse the attack and ensure that we caught them on counters on the break”
On performance of Bolaji Sakin, “He is a good player, we know him right for time. He joined us this season and he has proven to be a first team player but today (Wednesday) he had to come from the bench, that’s was our tactical plan. Though he tried his best, couldn’t get a goal but i think his efforts upfront also help us to keep possession and i think any day any time he is a very good and first team player. I give him kudos”
