AFCON 2019: Why Gernot Rohr left Iheanacho on the bench against Libya

Super Eagles coach, Gernot Rohr, snubbed Leicester City striker Kelechi Iheanacho in the two legs of the African Cup of Nations qualifying games against Libya because China-based Odion Ighalo was in a rich vein of form.

Iheanacho was not left on the bench as a result of fitness concerns, a Super Eagles insider told the sports outlet.

”You hardly change a winning team, somehow Ighalo had one of his best games for Nigeria against the Libyans, he scored a hat-trick and almost scored a hat-trick in Tunisia, but he got two goals, ” the top team insider said.

”It’s not that Iheanacho is having an injury, he was not played for tactical reasons. Ighalo performed extraordinarily.


”He scored ten minutes to go, what if he was replaced by Iheanacho? Sometimes the coach takes decisions and it clicks for him and people will start hailing him.

”The coach knows his players and knows when to make substitutions as and when due. He got the results everyone is looking for.”