Head coach of the Super Eagles, Gernot Rohr, has praised his players after their 1-1 draw with Senegal in an international friendly on Thursday.
Moussa Sow gave the Terranga Lions the lead in the second half, before Kelechi Iheanacho equalized from the spot with seven minutes left.
“It is never the result that matters in a friendly match; it is the attitude of the players and what they bring to the game,” Rohr said.
“I am satisfied with our whole attitude and the fact that after going down by a goal, we were mentally strong enough to come back and eventually ended the match on a high.
“You must also consider that we were missing key players like Carl (Ikeme), (Victor) Moses and the captain (Mikel John Obi). We put out a couple of players who had not featured for us before, like (Olanrewaju) Kayode and (Isaac) Success.
“We had to deal with goalkeeping issue and Daniel (Akpeyi) did not have any training with the team. (Ikechukwu) Ezenwa came on the eve of the match and also did not train. It was difficult planning for the game but I am satisfied with what we came up with and how we approached the game.
“It is a fact that Leon (Balogun), (William) Ekong and Elderson (Echiejile) had not been playing regularly in their clubs, and even Kenneth (Omeruo) who had been active was played in a different role.
“(Ahmed) Musa and Kelechi (Iheanacho) had also not been playing much. So, it was tough for them at the start but they picked up well and showed good character.
“Our captain (Ogenyi Onazi) went off injured after only 20 minutes. We had to choose between (John) Ogu and (Oghenekaro) Etebo, we opted for Ogu because of the stature of the Senegalese and I think he did well.
“Now, we know we have some strength-in-depth and that is very good for planning. I am also delighted with the confidence level of Wilfred (Ndidi).”
Nigeria take on Burkina Faso in another friendly on Monday.
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