Coach of Nigeria’s Super Eagles, José Peseiro, says Nigeria will go all out for a win against Guinea-Bissau despite being seemingly comfortable after beating hosts Ivory Coast.
Jerrymusa.com reports that Peseiro insists that Nigeria will not take their feet off the pedal when they clash with Guinea Bissau on Monday evening, as a win will guarantee the Eagles a spot on the next round of the tournament.
“We defeated Cote d’Ivoire, but that is already in the past. We know that in football, what counts is the moment. We must temper our confidence, and put in more work as required. We must not rest.
“We want to take the first place and for that, we must do battle. We must do what is necessary to accomplish our mission tomorrow,” Peseiro said at the pre-match conference at the Palais de la Culture in the Treichville area of Abidjan on Sunday.
The Teams Morale is High
Peseiro will tinker Nigeria against Guinea-Bissau handed the Eagles a shock defeat during the Afcon qualifiers
With four points from their first two matches, including a morale-pumping victory over the host nation and one of the favourites, the Eagles are walking with springs in their steps at their Pullman Hotel Abidjan and at their training sessions at the École National de la Police.
However, Peseiro cautions that the work is not yet done and there is utmost need for level heads.
“We have to forget that we defeated the host nation. There is a lot more work to be done. We want to be here for the long haul,” he told thenff.com after the press conference.
Peseiro won his first two competitive games with the Super Eagles – a 2-1 defeat of Sierra Leone in Abuja and a record-breaking international win of 10—0 against Sao Tome and Principe in Agadir, Morocco in June 2022.
The match will be played at the Stade Félix Houphoüet-Boigny in central Abidjan from 5pm local time on Monday, which is 6pm Nigeria time.
Monday’s crucial game, which will be Nigeria’s 100th match at the Africa Cup of Nations since a group phase encounter against Egypt in nearby Ghana in 1963, could see the Super Eagles finish top of group A with a win.