Super Eagles defender Chidozie Awaziem admits the team will feel Wilfred Ndidi’s absence in the clash against DR Congo but insists they must find a way to adapt without the midfielder, SportPremi reports.
The Nigerian midfielder picked up a booking in the first half of the 4-1 win over Gabon on Thursday, which has ruled him out of Sunday’s CAF playoff final.
Akor Adams gave them the lead late in the game, although the Panthers equalized before full time through Mario Lemina.
Chidera Ejuke, who only came on in the second half, put Nigeria ahead in the first half of extra-time, before the in-form Victor Osimhen added two more goals to the tally.
Democratic Republic of Congo, on the other hand, produced a resilient defensive display and a late winner to claim bragging rights over Cameroon in the other clash.
Chancel Mbemba scored the only goal of the game in stoppage-time as the Leopards advanced to the final after a 1-0 win.
Both sides face off on Sunday to determine Africa’s representative at the intercontinental playoffs, with the likes of Bolivia, Jamaica and Panama also in the mix.
What Awaziem said
Chidozie Awaziem earned a recall to the Nigerian squad after missing last month’s qualifiers against Lesotho and Benin Republic.
The defender has called for calm among the team and has urged his teammates to step up in the absence of their deputy captain.
“We’re definitely going to miss him. But we have other players as well who can play the same position and who are good as well,” Awaziem admitted.
“We trust everyone. The coach trusts everyone, everyone’s ability, and I just hope that whoever comes in the position of Wilfred is going to try to do better than him or try to give it all so that the team can come out with a victory.”
The defender also hailed the performance of the entire team in last Thursday’s win over Gabon.
“It was really an amazing performance for the team, not just for me. I’m really excited that I got some minutes and also the win and the assist.
“I’m really happy that we got the win yesterday, which we deserve, and now we just focus on the next game on Sunday”, he continued.
“First we had the first game which was the first step and yes, we won the game. Now we already know what is at stake.
“We know that this is another step closer to the World Cup. So we just keep the same spirit, the same energy that we used in the first game.”
The CAF playoff final on Sunday is scheduled to start at 8 PM at the Moulay Hassan Stadium in Morocco.
