By Daily Sports Nigeria on January 15, 2024
Super Eagles coach Jose Peseiro insisted his team did everything to start their 2023 AFCON campaign on a winning note after settling for a 1-1 draw against Equatorial Guinea on Sunday, The PUNCH reports.
Reining African Player of The Year, Victor Osimhen, spared the Eagles blushes with a towering goal-mouth header after the Equatoguineans had opened scoring through Iban Salvador.
Osimhen and his teammates were, however, guilty of not burying their chances as the game ended in a stalemate, leaving them with some work to do when they face Ivory Coast in the next game.
Peseiro was seemingly pleased with the performance of the team but rued their missed chances.
“We did everything to win, we created many and clear opportunities, and we simply deserved to win,” Peseiro said in the post-match interview.
He also praised his players for adapting despite the high temperature they played under.
“Playing 2pm (3pm Nigerian time) isn’t easy, so the temperature and humidity were not good, but our players managed it very well. It wasn’t easy playing in these conditions,” the coach added.
No thanks to the draw, Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea sit behind Ivory Coast in Group A after the hosts won their opening game against Guinea-Bissau 2-0 on Saturday. The hosts lead the group with three points, while Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea have one point each.
Seeking a fourth AFCON title in Ivory Coast, Jose Peseiro’s men will have some work to do when they face the hosts on Thursday in their second game.
A win for Nigeria on Thursday will get their campaign back on track while a draw will require them to win their last group game against Guinea-Bissau next Monday to be sure of making it to the round of 16.
It’s been 11 years since Nigeria last won the AFCON. They won it in 1980, 1994 and 2013.
The 2023 AFCON is broadcast live in Nigeria by pay-TV firm StarTimes.
Source Punch Ng
Posted January 15, 2024
You may also like...
Wladimir Klitschko and Oleksandr Usyk ready to fight...
Warriors shocked over NPFL draw
Tony Bellew: Haye says win like robbing a...
Exclusive: 2023 AFCONQ: Eagles Showed Hunger, Determination For...
Madu calls Comets spoilers
Salah concerns Conte
Fredrick: Who is Brentford’s new man?
‘Players’ self-belief secret of Rangers success’
How Enyimba, fans celebrated Finidi’s Eagles appointment
Boniface, Tella strike fear in De Rossi
They smeared my name over Eagles job – Amuneke
How Finidi beat Amuneke, others to Eagles coaching job
Brentford signs Nigerian U-20 sensation Benjamin Frederick from Moses Simon’s Kaduna academy
SWAN President Says NEC Not Aware Of Full Coucil Meeting In Kano
The challenges before Eagles coach Finidi
Dessers hits back at critics
Hearn talks up Joshua, Wilder fight
Ikpeba backs Finidi to utilise NPFL stars
Most Read
Rangers International going, going . . . (53,686 views)
Amaju Pinnick: A cat with nine lives (44,688 views)
Second Term: Amaju Pinnick, Other NFF Heavyweights Home to Roost •How Pinnick Broke the Jinx (42,840 views)
Missing $150,000 IAAF Grant: Solomon Dalung’s Hide and Seek game (42,517 views)
Sports Development: Zenith Bank on the zenith (42,276 views)
Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje’s solid footprints, commitment to sports development in Kano State (42,161 views)
Current issues in Nigerian sports: Matters arising (42,057 views)
NFF Presidency: Pinnick, Maigari, Ogunjobi, Okoye in Battle for Supremacy (41,529 views)
Olopade, BET9A wave of revolution in NNL (40,559 views)
Commonwealth Games 2018: Shame of Muhammadu Buhari, Solomon Dalung (39,557 views)
Ibrahimovic’s Man U exit: Whose decision is it? And in whose interest? (37,927 views)
John Mikel Obi: Segun Odegbami’s Outrageous Call! (37,491 views)