Applauds Troost Ekong-led watertight defence
BY VICTOR OSOWOCHI – With Wednesday’s semi-final clash against Bafana Bafana of South Africa occupying his mind, Super Eagles’ coach, José Peseiro wants his men to be more clinical in front of goal.
Having just two matches away from a fourth AFCON triumph for Nigeria, Peseiro and his players currently boast of the strongest defence at the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire.
In commending Nigeria’s defensive solidity, the Portuguese handler, who hopes to see improvements in attack against the South Africans, said of the quarter-final victory over Angola; “Once again, we played without conceding, scored a goal, but I would have liked more. The team could have created more opportunities.”
With just six goals scored in five games, the Portuguese feels Nigeria aren’t capitalizing on their quality, noting that; “We are a quality team, Angola was very good, but we had more luck. I remain satisfied with my players but want us to be more efficient”.
Also admitting that chance creation has not been helped by injuries which kept some players out of the tournament, Peseiro further said; “We’re missing some key creators like Iheanacho and Aribo, so it’s been hard. But others must now step up”.
In a fourth AFCON title for Nigeria, the Coach knows finding a clinical edge could be decisive and a victory against South Africa on Wednesday at the Stade de la Paix in Bouaké (5:00 PM GMT) would bring them closer to this important goal.
So far, the Super Eagles have continued to grind out results, courtesy of their miserly defence and many football pundits and fans alike believe that should the team rediscover its scoring touch, the country may once again return to the pinnacle of African football.
The semi-finals’ 1-0 win over Angola represented the team’s fourth straight clean sheet at the competition. Quietly and without fanfare, the Eagles are steadily soaring and victory over the ‘Boys’ from South Africa on Wednesday will be a wonderful gift to Nigeria’s teeming football fans.
