Jose Peseiro, the Super Eagles head coach, says his team failed to show their quality in the loss to Cote d’Ivoire in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final.
The Super Eagles were defeated 2-1 by the Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire in the final held at the Olympic Stadium, Ebimpe, Abidjan, on Sunday.
Nigeria took the lead in the match after William Troost-Ekong scored a powerful header in the first half, but Franck Kessie and Sebastien Haller scored in the second half for the Ivorians.
Speaking to journalists after the match, Peseiro said the Ivorians played better than the Eagles in the final and deserved to win the trophy.
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He also praised his players for doing “a fantastic job until today”, adding that they are sad for not winning AFCON for the Nigerian people.
“Our team played a fantastic tournament, but in the final, Cote d’Ivoire was better. They played a very good game, and our team did not show our level,” Peseiro said.
“It is the truth. No individual and collective quality or performance like we showed until now. We must say congratulations to Cote d’Ivoire.
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“They were better than us today. Congratulations to my players because they did a fantastic job until today. They wanted to win the cup for the Nigerian people, but we could not, and we need to accept the result.”
Peseiro was appointed the Eagles head coach in 2022. During his unveiling, he promised to win a fourth AFCON title for Nigeria.
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