As Nigeria’s Super Eagles prepare for their crunch encounter against Guinea-Bissau in their last group stage match at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) on Monday evening, head coach Jose Peseiro insists the three-time African champions are gunning for a win to finish top in Group A.
The Super Eagles on Thursday defeated Ivory Coast 1-0 thanks to William Troost-Ekong’s goal that sealed Nigeria’s victory against the host nation.
“We defeated Cote d’Ivoire, but that is already in the past. We know that in football, what counts is the moment,” Peseiro said in his pre-match conference at the Palais de la Culture in Abidjan on Sunday.
“We must temper our confidence, and put in more work as required. We must not rest.
“We want to take the first place and for that, we must do battle. We must do what is necessary to accomplish our mission tomorrow.”
Peseiro will lead Nigeria to the only team to have beaten his Super Eagles side in a competitive match since he took the reins of the three-time African champions 20 months ago.
With four points from their first two matches, the Eagles are one step from reaching the last 16, but Peseiro cautions that the work is not yet done and there is utmost need for level heads.
“We have to forget that we defeated the host nation. There is a lot more work to be done. We want to be here for the long haul.”
Guinea-Bissau pipped the Super Eagles 1-0 in the 2023 AFCON qualifier. Nigeria repaid the compliment a few days later in Bissau, but the Portuguese trainer says the Portuguese-speaking nation still owes him a clapback.
“We are not thinking about revenge but we are here to top the group and they are in our sights. We must do what has to be done. Guinea-Bissau have no point and will play with freedom, and that is when a team becomes dangerous.”
Both teams clash at the Stade Félix Houphoüet-Boigny in central Abidjan from 6pm Nigeria time on Monday.
Monday’s crucial game, which will be Nigeria’s 100th match at the AFCON since a group phase encounter against Egypt in nearby Ghana in 1963, will see the Super Eagles finish top of Group A with a win, provided Equatorial Guinea, also on four points, do not get a win against Ivory Coast at an encounter holding simultaneously at the Alassane Ouattara stadium.
