Sevilla striker Akor Adams has pledged to build on an encouraging first outing at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) after Nigeria opened their Group C campaign with a 2-1 win over Tanzania on Tuesday night in Fez, Morocco.
Akor Adams, 25, who plays his club football with Sevilla, was handed his AFCON debut and led the Super Eagles’ attack alongside Victor Osimhen.
It was a lively performance from the former Flying Eagles forward, who showed confidence and sharp movement throughout the contest.
Adams came closest to announcing himself on the big stage in the first half when his powerful header crashed against the crossbar, a moment that left the Nigerian bench on its feet.
Despite failing to get on the scoresheet, the striker cut a satisfied figure after the final whistle and insisted his overall display was a solid foundation to build on.
“I feel good, my confidence mostly comes from my physical shape, and I feel very good on the pitch,” Adams said.
“The goal will come, the assist will come, we focus on taking the points. It’s the group stage; we take as many points as possible to make it through to the next round.”
Adams also highlighted the importance of results over style in tournament football, expressing contentment with the outcome against a stubborn Tanzanian side.
“To improve on what we did today, it was a good game from our side. The most important thing in tournaments is victory, not so much how you play. We came for the victory, and we got it, and we just work on that,” he said.
He went on to address the backdrop of Nigeria’s failure to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, making it clear that it has not dampened the squad’s determination at the continental showpiece.
“No that’s not the pressure, we come to win, and everybody came to win. So we are not coming with a different ambition than any other country,” Adams noted.
“Yes, we missed out on the World Cup as some other countries did. It’s very sad, we are still very sad about it, but we plan to go as far as possible and we are working towards it.”
The victory leaves Nigeria second in Group C and firmly in the mix as the tournament gathers pace. Attention now turns to their next group fixture against Tunisia, a match that could go a long way in shaping the group standings.
