José Peseiro reveals his best match in charge of the Super Eagles: “It was the most exciting”.

Former Super Eagles coach José Peseiro has revealed the best match he managed during his tenure as Nigeria’s coach.

The 63-year-old Portuguese led the Super Eagles of Nigeria for 22 matches during a two-year stint on the touchline.

He won 11, drew 4, and lost 7 of his 22 matches in charge of the Super Eagles, achieving a win percentage of 50.

One of the highlights of José Peseiro’s career is leading the Super Eagles to their first Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final since 2013. However, Nigeria ultimately lost to Ivory Coast in the final.

Peseiro reflects on his best moment as Super Eagles coach
In an exclusive interview with Sport Italia, he stated that Nigeria’s victory in the semi-final against South Africa at AFCON 2023 remains his best match in charge of the Super Eagles.

Captain Troost-Ekong had given Nigeria the lead from the penalty spot, but there was a slight twist in the match when Victor Osimhen thought he had given Nigeria a 2-0 lead, only for VAR to overturn the goal and award South Africa a penalty in the 90th minute.

Midfielder Teboho Mokhoena stepped up and sent Nwabali the wrong way to equalize for South Africa. After 30 additional minutes of extra time with nothing separating the two teams, the match was decided by a penalty shootout. Nigerian goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali was the hero, saving three penalties, with Kelechi Iheanacho scoring the decisive kick to send Nigeria to the final.

Speaking about the match, José Peseiro, who has now left his position as manager of the Super Eagles, said:

“It was certainly the most thrilling as it enabled us to play in the AFCON final, but we had many very good moments during our time with the Super Eagles.”

Who will be the next Super Eagles coach?

The Nigerian Football Federation recently released an announcement to fill the vacancy left by the Portuguese.

Several names of former internationals such as Samson Siasia, Sunday Oliseh, and Finidi George have all been mentioned as possible replacements for José Peseiro.

However, the federation has appointed Finidi George as the interim coach when Nigeria faces the Ghana Black Stars and the Mali Eagles in an international friendly match later this month.