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.
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.
