Following Nigeria's hard-fought 1-0 victory over Libya in an AFCON 2025 qualifier, coach Austin Eguavoen urged striker Victor Boniface to capitalise on scoring opportunities.
The Bayer Leverkusen forward has faced significant criticism from Nigerian football fans for his recent struggles in front of goal for the Super Eagles.
Tasked with leading the Nigerian attack in the absence of Victor Osimhen, following his recent impressive performances for Bayer Leverkusen, Boniface once again struggled to make an impact in the match.
Before being substituted for Taiwo Awoniyi in the 74th minute, the 23-year-old delivered a disappointing performance, failing to register any shots on target or off target.
He lost possession nine times, did not complete any of his three dribble attempts, had one shot blocked, and managed only 20 touches during his time on the pitch.
Eguavoen identifies key areas for Boniface's improvement
Eguavoen, in his post-match press conference following the Libyan game, addressed concerns regarding striker Victor Boniface's performance.
“You know, Boniface is a clinical striker, clinical finisher, but he is struggling in national colours. You see, sometimes these chances don’t come.
“I remember in Rwanda, today also, when you get half a chance, players like Romario, they toe-poke the ball, but he wants to dress and dress and dress, and then the defenders recover.
“So if he decides on time, I think Boniface will score a lot of goals. I will speak to him about that.”
With his inability to score against Libya, Boniface has now gone seven matches without finding the net for Nigeria. The striker last registered a goal during a 2-2 international friendly against Saudi Arabia on October 13, 2023, marking his only goal for the national team to date.
He has made a total of eight appearances for the three-time AFCON champions.
