Nwankwo stressed that they went into the game knowing already the kind of team Harras Al-Hodoud were, given their results in the last two rounds, and said that it was the main reason they were shooting for a draw.

“We are closer now to win and qualify, but we won’t undermine Harras Al-Hodoud, big teams don’t care if they played at home or on any other ground,” Nwankwo told a press conference after the match.

Iwuanyanwu changed their official name to Hearland FC a few days ago.

On the other hand, Harras Al-Hodoud assistant coach Tarek Al-Ashri insisted that his side played a good match overall but squandered a host of chances to score from given the players’ hastiness, an aspect that lead to the Nigerian team’s confidence.

“We can win the second-leg, especially since the Nigerian team will give up their defensive strategy, given that their only chance is to score,” Al-Ashri said.

Both the Egyptian and Nigerian sides need to maintain a one-goal lead at least to ensure qualification to the round of 16.