Super Eagles coach, Jose Peseiro, said his new-found winning formation suffered in the last 20 minutes of the semi-final clash with the Bafana Bafana of South Africa.
Peseiro said this during a news conference after Nigeria’s 4-2 penalty shootout win at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Bouake, Côte d’Ivoire.
The Portuguese tactician also said the semi-final match was his toughest game so far in the ongoing AFCON.
“Around 90 minutes, I saw that our team suffered, we were shaken. We lost the balance. But during the break before the extra time, we put ourselves together and went into extra time with confidence.
“They are a very good team, they created a lot of problems for us, they did a fantastic job but I think our boys deserved to win,” Mr Peseiro said.
His South Africa counterpart, Hugo Broos, expressed the belief that his team played well but lost the game and praised his boys for a good job.
“Two minutes before the end of 90 minutes, we had three clear cut chances. If we could score then, it means we are going to the final.
“It is a disappointment for everyone because we feel that we played a very good game today and I’m very proud of it. I’m proud of my players, the disappointment is small, the proudness is very big. What they did, what they performed, not only today, I think I have to be proud as a coach,” Mr Broos stated.
Nigeria’s captain, William Ekong, scored from the spot to give the Super Eagles the lead in the 67th minute.
A dramatic twist of events saw Victor Osimhen’s celebrations cut short in the 86th minute after scoring what would have been Nigeria’s 2nd goal.
But a Video Assistant Referee review resulted in a penalty against Super Eagles after Alhassan Yusuf fouled a player in his goal area.
Bafana Bafana’s Teboho Mokoena, sent goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali to the wrong side to even the score in the 88th minute.
The two sides had their few chances in the extra time but Nwabali stole the show when he stopped two of South Africa’s penalties to give Nigeria a 4-2 win at the end of the encounter.
(NAN)
