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Battle against Algeria, Olanrewaju prays for Rohr’s invite


Austria-based striker, Kayode Olanrewaju, has said he believes he will soon be called up to the Super Eagles as long as he keeps scoring goals for his club.

The Austria Wien FC striker is even praying that his name be included in the list Coach Gernot Rohr is expected to release later this week for the World Cup qualifier against the Desert Foxes of Algeria in Uyo on November 12.


Kayode, who has already represented Nigeria at U-17, U-20 and Olympic levels, has hogged the headlines after his goals for Austria Wien in both the UEFA Europa League as well as the Austrian Bundesliga.

He has now scored three goals in the league, two in the Austria Cup and four in the Europa League including last Thursday’s game-saving equaliser at AS Roma.

“My goals always speak for me and I believe very soon I will get the nod of the Super Eagles coaches,” he said. “And once I got it, I will grab it with both hands.

“If it came for the Algeria match (World Cup qualifier in Uyo on November 12), I know it is my duty to score goals and I have to score to justify my invitation.”

His teammates from the U-17s and U-20s already established full internationals include Shehu Abdullahi, Kenneth Omeruo, Ogenyi Onazi and Ahmed Musa.

Similarly, Algeria’s Sofiane Feghouli has admitted it will be even more difficult for his country in the World Cup qualifiers if they failed in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State next month, while also being openly critical of ex-coach Milovan Rajevac.

The North Africans were held to a 1-1 draw at home by Cameroun’s Indomitable Lions and immediately after parted ways with the Serbian coach, Rajevac.

“It will be a difficult trip to Nigeria in November,” conceded the West Ham United star, Feghouli, in an interview.

“We will have to bounce back immediately because if we lost, it will become very complicated to qualify (for the World Cup). We know that.

“Unfortunately, it started badly with the home draw with Cameroun”.

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