Nigeria took another step towards the 2018 World Cup after drawing 1-1 in Yaounde against African champions Cameroon, but Gernot Rohr has urged caution until they get over the finishing line.
Moses Simon gave the Super Eagles a first-half lead when he found the net from close range in the 30th minute, and they looked to be running away with all three points until Vincent Aboubakar stepped up to beat Ikechukwu Ezenwa from the spot after the goalkeeper’s error 15 minutes from time.
The point leaves the Super Eagles needing only a draw at home against Zambia to reach the World Cup, but Rohr is taking nothing for granted.
“We are happy about the result, but it’s not done entirely,” the German coach said in the post-match press conference.
“We must stay humble and do a big fight against Zambia, who also have a very young team.
“Let’s be careful, let’s work, and I hope the spirit of this team will be the same as the last two games. “If we get a good result against Zambia we can celebrate, but we have to stay humble.”
Cameroon were overwhelmed in the first half as they struggled to find their way past a disciplined Nigeria side and could easily have conceded two more goals.
However, they took control following substitutions from both sides just after the hour mark, and may be disappointed not to have sealed a winner after dominating the latter stages.
“It was a different Cameroon team today.
“They had three fresh players. We had the same team.
“Physically in the second half, we had problems, but we are very happy about this point because our goal was four points against Cameroon.
“Today was a game we didn’t want to make spectacle.
“We just wanted to get the point and, without the penalty, we get three points.
“We are very satisfied by the result,” Rohr said.
Meanwhile, Zambia on Tuesday defeated Algeria 1-0 in Algiers to come close to Nigeria with 10 points in the group of Algeria, Zambia, Cameroun and Nigeria.
.ESPN
