We were unlucky—Nigeria coach Jose Peseiro

* As Osimhen rescues a point for Super Eagles against resilient Equatorial Guinea

Maravi Express

Held in check on Sunday in their first Group A game of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Côte d’Ivoire 2023, Nigeria did not succeed in starting off in the fashion they would have loved.

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But beyond the slightly disappointing result, Super Eagles coach Jose Peseiro is satisfied with the performance of his players: “We hoped to win this match and we did everything to win.

“Our team was better than that of Equatorial Guinea but we lacked luck. I am not happy. I deserved to win, this draw doesn’t suit us. Our team created a lot of chances but we didn’t score.

We hope that next time, even with fewer opportunities, we will score. We simply have to improve our finishing,” he said.

Nigeria will face hosts Côte d’Ivoire, for their second game scheduled for Thursday that will be decisive for the Super Eagles, who have almost no room for error.

Jose Peseiro

The hosts began their AFCON campaign in style by beating Guinea-Bissau 2-0 in Saturday night’s opening match in Abidjan.

In Sunday’s match, Equatorial Guinea’s Ivan Salvador’s composed finish in the 36th minute saw shocked the Super Eagles at Ebimpe’s Alassane Ouattara Olympic Stadium but hitman, Victor Osimhen levelled matters with a difficult header that found its way into an empty net.

With the crowd behind them, Nigeria went in search of the second and were almost rewarded in the 45th minute when Moses Simon’s well struck effort came off the upright to the relief of Equatorial Guinea.

Coming in the second half, both sides hardly troubled each other’s goals, with both set of defenders doing well to remain disciplined.

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