Tanzania Coach Highlights Tolu Arokodare’s Key Strength That Helped Nigeria Win
- Tanzania head coach Miguel Gamondi spoke out after his side's 3-1 loss to the Super Eagles in Uyo
- Gamondi singled out Ajax striker Tolu Arokodare, who came off the bench to score twice in the second half
- The coach also pointed to the physical toll of travel as a factor that hampered his team's performance
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Tanzania head coach Miguel Gamondi has admitted that Nigeria's superior individual quality, particularly from substitute Tolu Arokodare, proved too much for his side in their 3-1 defeat to the Super Eagles in Uyo.
The match was level at 1-1 heading into the break, but Arokodare's introduction changed the complexion of the contest entirely. The Ajax striker scored twice after coming off the bench to secure a comfortable Nigeria victory.
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Gamondi acknowledged that falling behind so early had placed his team in a difficult spot, but he was quick to praise the character his players showed in recovering.
"I think we started in the worst scenario. We conceded one goal in the first minutes of the game against Nigeria," Gamondi said via ANS.
"It should be a killer situation, but my boys showed big character to keep their minds on the pitch and keep believing, and we equalised."
Gamondi highlights Arokodare’s impact
The Tanzanian coach was candid about what changed in the second half, pointing directly to the quality Nigeria introduced from the substitutes' bench.
"In the second half, we conceded a different quality to the player who comes from the bench. There are big strikers (Tolu Arokodare) and even physically, and the quality. This was the difference.
“We can't suffer this bad for the first fifteen minutes because they applied a lot of pressure and attacked well."
Gamondi insisted Nigeria deserved the win but maintained that his side also created opportunities to score more goals, suggesting the final scoreline did not fully reflect how competitive the match was.
"Nigeria deserves to win the game, but I am very proud of my players. The kind of football we tried to play was good and honest football,” he added.
We tried to attack; even in the second half we created two or three chances. Nigeria should have scored one or two more goals, but maybe Tanzania as well."
He pinpointed clinical finishing as the key difference between the two teams.
"The difference between the two teams is that maybe we arrived and could not score a goal, but Nigeria kept this power."
Despite the heavy defeat, the coach left Uyo expressing pride in his players' effort and the style of football Tanzania attempted to play throughout the 90 minutes.
As noted by the NFF, the battle between the two sides is not done, as a reverse fixture will take place in Zanzibar on Tuesday, November 17, 2026.
Chelle sends message to Arokodare
Legit.ng previously reported that Eric Chelle hailed Tolu Arokodare as one of the best strikers in the world when inside the box.
The AFC Ajax loanee came off the bench to deliver two goals, which lifted Nigeria above the Taifa Stars and got AFCON qualification on track.
Source: Legit.ng
