Nigeria coach José Peseiro expressed regret following the Super Eagles’ draw against Equatorial Guinea (1-1) during Afcon 2023. The Portuguese technician partly attributes this result to unfavorable weather conditions.
Big favorite for victory, Nigeria started Afcon 2023 with a draw against Equatorial Guinea (1-1) on the first day of group A. The Super Eagles, surprised by Nzalang Nacional, avoided defeat thanks to to Victor Osimhen. This result places them in third position behind Ivory Coast, leader after their victory against Guinea-Bissau (2-0) at the opening of the group and Equatorial Guinea with the same number of points.
However, in a press conference after the match, José Peseiro, Nigeria’s national coach, was satisfied with the performance, but regretted the many missed opportunities, particularly in the second half. “We did everything to win, we created many clear chances and we simply deserved to win,” said Peseiro, the Nigeria coach in comments relayed by CAFonline.
José Peseiro names the culprit of the draw against Equatorial Guinea
After the draw against Equatorial Guinea, Super Eagles coach José Peseiro praised the adaptation of his players despite the high temperature of the match at 2 p.m. (3 p.m. Nigerian time). The Portuguese technician highlighted the difficulties linked to these conditions, and seems to admit that his team would undoubtedly have won the match against Equatorial Guinea if there was not too much heat.
“Playing at 2 p.m. (3 p.m. Nigerian time) is not easy, so the temperature and humidity were not good, but our players handled that very well. It was not easy to play in these conditions,” added José Peseiro, coach of the Super Eagles of Nigeria.
In search of a fourth Afcon 2023 title in Ivory Coast, Nigeria will face the Ivorians on the second day. A victory would revive the Super Eagles, while another draw would force them to win their last group match against Guinea-Bissau to ensure their qualification for the round of 16.
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