Rohr On How Nigeria Qualified : Young Players Who Play For Big Clubs Iwobi, Iheanacho Key

Super Eagles manager Gernot Rohr has revealed that the national team qualified for the 2018 World Cup because of some key young players who play for some of the big clubs in Europe.
 
Arsenal striker Alex Iwobi became a national hero when he netted the winner against Zambia, a goal that assured Nigeria a World Cup spot, while another 21-year-old Kelechi Iheanacho also found the net against Zambia on match day one plus Cameroon.

Asked how he managed to qualify Nigeria for the World Cup, Rohr told L'Equipe : ''It's thanks to the quality of the players. There are some at a very high level. We found the right mix , the good mix between youth and experience.

''A group was formed about fifteen months ago, to which we decided to integrate a lot of young people.

''Players who are already in big clubs for some, like Alex Iwobi (Arsenal), Kelechi Iheanacho (Leicester City) and others.

''With these new and some old, we built a team that led the way, which was very effective during the playoffs.''

German-born Rohr, who has a French passport, is cooling off in Bordeaux before Nigeria's next games against Algeria and Argentina in November.

Igho Kingsley