Super Eagles head coach, Jose Peseiro, is gearing up for a challenging match against Angola in the ongoing 2023 Africa Cup of Nations. The encounter on Friday will determine the team that advances to the semi-finals, with Angola displaying resilience after starting the tournament with a 1-1 draw against Algeria and subsequently winning their last three matches.
Peseiro acknowledges the difficulty of the upcoming match and emphasizes the importance of his players delivering a peak performance for victory. Speaking to reporters, he states, “We are ready for the quarter-finals, and we will have more training, more practice before the game. We will give our best against them.”
During Monday’s training session, Peseiro commends his players’ dedication and emphasizes their recovery process. He assures that the team will exert maximum effort during training, recognizing the formidable nature of the upcoming opponent. He remarks, “We are going to face a tough team. We need to do our best to beat them.”
The scheduled encounter is set to take place at the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium in Abidjan.
On the team’s readiness, William Troost-Ekong, the on-field captain, acknowledges the potential toughness of the match against Angola but expresses readiness for the battle. Troost-Ekong notes that there are no easy games in the tournament, emphasizing the need for the team to stay alert and convert chances.
Winger Moses Simon shares the sentiment, acknowledging the difficulty of the upcoming game. He emphasizes the importance of the team being at their best and staying focused on the prize.
The history between Nigeria and Angola adds another layer of significance to the match. While clashes at the international level have been limited, Nigeria has historical scores to settle with Angola, dating back to the qualification series for the 1990 FIFA World Cup finals. Angola famously halted Nigeria’s quest for the 2006 FIFA World Cup finals, contributing to the anticipation surrounding this AFCON 2023 quarter-final clash.