Nigeria have nothing to worry about, claims Peseiro
After being held to a 1-1 draw by tiny Equatorial Guinea in their opening Group A match, Nigeria's lackluster performance at the Africa Cup of Nations finals was deemed to be unfounded by coach Jose Peseiro.
"I'm sad about the result but not with the capacity of our performance," he said after his team failed to defeat a country whose population of 1.6 million is dwarfed by Nigeria's 214 million.
The small central African country were giantkillers in the previous tournament two years ago, and they continued to punch above their weight when Iban Salvador scored a surprise opener against the run of play in the 36th minute.
However, the lead lasted only two minutes before Nigeria equalized through Napoli forward Victor Osimhen.
"We played a good game, we created many chances and clear opportunities, especially in the second half, and I think we deserved to win," Peseiro told a press conference.
"If we keep up this dominance we will do well. Of course I’m not happy we drew but if the other side deserved their point, then I'd be concerned."
The Super Eagles' third competitive international draw followed two disappointing results in their first two World Cup qualifiers in November. Lesotho held them at home before drawing away to Zimbabwe.
"Obviously we need to improve finishing but it is not as if the players meant to miss their chances," the Nigeria coach added.
He also stated that the hot and humid conditions had taken their toll, and that pressure from disgruntled home fans didn't help. "It's not easy to wear the Super Eagles shirt," Peseiro explained.
Nigeria's next game is a potential crunch game against hosts Ivory Coast on Thursday, which will likely be played in a hostile atmosphere.
"But I think my players prefer to play in front of 60,000 rather than the 8,000 we had today."
Nigeria has only twice failed to advance past the first round in 19 previous Cup of Nations finals appearances, but if they lose to the Ivorians, they may be eliminated early on.
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