Super Eagles coach, Jose Peseiro, has laid out the blueprint for success in the upcoming African Cup of Nations, AFCON, quarterfinal clash against Angola.
Even though the team won impressively against Cameroon in the round of 16, Peseiro emphasized that they need to replicate that performance to win on Friday. The coach did not delve into specific tactics but highlighted the importance of collective effort by the team.
“See, I just want to win every game, I don’t know what Nigerians think about names in football, but if we must beat Angola, we must play as we did against Cameroon,” he said.
However, Peseiro acknowledged the pressure on him to drop Victor Osimhen on the bench before Nigeria’s 2-1 win over Cameroon. Ademola Lookman scored twice to give Nigeria a famous win over the Indomitable Lions. However, it was Osimhen who did most of the dirty work by breaking free and laying off a pass to Lookman, who scored the first goal. Peseiro insisted that the striker had a fantastic game despite his goal drought extending to three games at AFCON.
“He didn’t score but had a fantastic game; it’s not easy to stop that guy. One lady asked me yesterday to put Osimhen on the bench if you want to score,” Peseiro said.
“Ask the opponents’ defenders what they suffered. He pressured, won the first ball, and created the goal. The opponent had the ball and, with pressure, took the ball and assisted.
“He’s fantastic for our team, which has very good players. We want a striker who can defend and attack; sometimes you need to give him the ball, and he’ll win the ball against two or three.”
