Super Eagles Coach Jose Peseiro Reveals How He Conquered Ivory Coast

Super Eagles head coach, Jose Peseiro has revealed that he has been planning on how to approach the 2023 AFCON group stage game against the hosts, Ivory Coast, during Nigeria’s training camp in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

On Thursday, January 18, coach Jose Peseiro and his boys faced the Ivorian side in a must-win game at the tournament after recording a 1-1 draw with Equatorial Guinea in their opening AFCON game.

During the game, the Super Eagles played a more cautious game, always waiting for attacks from the Ivorians in the middle of the pitch, and maintaining organized defense throughout the game.

Fortunately, the Eagles scored the winner in the 55th minute through the penalty spot and that was all they needed to secure the much-needed three points.

After the game, coach Jose Peseiro said: “I started thinking about how to approach this game when we were in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

“Cote d’Ivoire is a strong team with good players, so we need to close down the space and defend very well.

“We know we have to work hard and not allow them to play their football. The players did well to stick to our plan in the game.”

Thanks to the 1-0 win, the Super Eagles are going into their last group stage game of the tournament against Guinea-Bissau on January 22, sitting second in Group A with the same number of points (four) as first-placed Equatorial Guinea.