AFCON Qualifiers: Eguavoen quits after controversial draw in Kigali

Nigeria's Super Eagles settle for a draw against Rwanda in AFCON qualifiers as interim coach Eguavoen resigns, leaving the NFF to find a new coach.

Ademola Lookman fires one in against Rwanda but the referee wrongly disallowed it for offside. Rwanda and the Super Eagles settled for a goalless draw. (Photo credit: Pulse)

The Super Eagles of Nigeria endured a torrid afternoon in Kigali on Tuesday as they settled for a goalless draw against Rwanda.

After the impressive 3-0 win over Benin Republic in the opening game of the 2026 AFCON qualifiers, the Super Eagles flew to Kigali to negotiate with the Wasps of Rwanda. It hasn’t been a great hunting ground for the Nigerian side, and the Tuesday encounter wasn’t going to be different.

Austin Eguavoen, the interim coach, kept the same team that defeated Benin Republic, except for Dele Bashiru, who replaced Fulham's Alex Iwobi. It was always going to be a tough game, but the Super Eagles showed glimpses of greatness.

Midway into the first half, in-form Ademola Lookman scored a brilliant goal, but the referee disallowed it for offside. You may wonder how someone can be offside from a throw-in situation; this is precisely why African referees rarely receive global recognition.

The allowed goal gave the Nigerian team the initiative. Bayern Leverkusen striker Victor Boniface saw his effort cannon off the crossbar before Lookman headed wide from the rebound; the Super Eagles kept plugging away, but the Rwandan defence stood firm.

The second half saw Victor Osimhen and Moses Simon come in for Boniface and Samuel Chukwueze, respectively; the Super Eagles kept creating chances, but the Rwandan keeper wouldn’t give anything away as both sides settled for a goalless draw.

After the game, news filtered through that interim head coach Austin Eguavoen has resigned and wouldn’t be in charge for the next game; the next engagement for the Super Eagles is over four weeks away, and the NFF has no excuse.

There are no words yet on Bruno Labbadia or any other coach, but, with time on their hands, the Super Eagles are expected to have a substantive manager in the dugout by the start of the next international window; the NFF cannot embarrass the nation any further.