Interim Super Eagles coach, Augustine Eguavoen, has explained why he substituted Samuel Chukwueze during the second half of Nigeria’s 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying match against Rwanda on Tuesday. Chukwueze, who was performing well, was replaced by Moses Simon at halftime.

In his post-match interview, Eguavoen revealed that the decision to take off the AC Milan winger was due to his yellow card and the threat he posed to the hosts.

“Chukwueze is a very good player, one of our best. Today, we had a strategy in place, and he was tormenting Rwanda,” Eguavoen said. “However, he got a yellow card, and we had three players on yellow cards, which is always a risk. We had to make substitutions, and we have other players who can push forward as well."

Eguavoen added, “We thought it was best to rest Chukwueze, not because he wasn’t playing well, but to avoid the risk of him getting a second yellow card.”