AFCON 2023: Peseiro defends slow start to life as Super Eagles coach ahead of Bafana Bafana clash

The Super Eagles have secured a spot in the semi-finals of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), proving skeptics wrong despite a less-than-impressive run in the lead-up to the tournament.

Nigeria had a poor 2023, following lackluster performances in the 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifiers and friendly matches leading up to the continental competition.

In their final pre-tournament game, the Super Eagles suffered a 2-0 defeat to Guinea and managed a 2-2 draw against Saudi Arabia.

Despite struggling to find the net in the tournament, scoring only six goals in five games, Nigeria’s head coach, Jose Peseiro, asserted that the friendly matches were not an accurate reflection of their readiness for the Nations cup.

Peseiro defended the team’s performance, stating, ”It’s true, our previous results were not so good, against Guinea and especially against Zimbabwe – we deserved to win against Zimbabwe. Our qualification had more goals and a big score.”

He further explained, ”The friendly match for me is used to check and test some things. I have used the friendly matches to test the players against different teams. The fact that Nigeria were also playing a lot of these matches away from home was a factor. Nigeria played friendly matches away from home, against Portugal, Mexico, and Mozambique. For me, friendly matches are for training and to check things.”

Looking ahead, the Super Eagles are set to face South Africa in the semi-finals on February 7, aiming for their first appearance in the final since their 2013 title win. On the other hand, Bafana Bafana has reached the semi-finals for the first time since 2000, marking a significant achievement in the tournament.