The Super Eagles of Nigeria were handed a shocking defeat in their AFCON 2021 round of 16 match against Tunisia on Sunday, January 23, 2022.
The Super Eagles of Nigeria were handed a shocking defeat in their AFCON 2021 round of 16 match against Tunisia on Sunday, January 23, 2022. This was met with mixed reactions as ex-Super Eagles player Austin Okocha and the current coach, Austin Eguavoen, had a lot to say.
Mixed reactions trailed the loss of Nigeria to Tunisia in the AFCON round of 16 fixture, as players, ex-players, fans, and even the coach could not hide their disappointment. Nigeria had played against a Tunisian side that had been battling COVID cases and a poor run of form but still could not manage to get one past the defense.
Alex Iwobi was sent off in the 66th minute for a rash tackle on a Tunisian player. This saw an already struggling Nigerian side get reduced to 10- men.
Austin Okocha said in his pre-match analysis that Tunisia would be a tough opponent for the Super Eagles of Nigeria in the AFCON round of 16 fixture and, as such, they should be alert and careful with their style of play.
Okocha said in the post-match analysis on Supersport,
They executed their tactics well. This is a disappointing loss. They outclassed Nigeria. I have always said that you are only as good as your next game. This is a lesson for every big team.
I think it is good to see that we are flying high, but the most important thing is the next game, and we can only justify our performances so far if we go on and win the next one.
So the next one is the toughest one for you and the one you have to win. I hope we will carry on the good job that we are doing so far.
Okocha on supersport
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In a post-match interview, the interim manager of the Super Eagles, Austin Eguavoen, spoke in a post-match interview about the match between Nigeria and Tunisia in the AFCON round of 16. He said
We tried to come back after the Tunisia goal, and we chased the game. But then we got a red card. It was clear that the officiating wasn’t fair. I have toldd the players to pick up and ensure they qualify Nigeria for the world cup.
I won’t criticise the referee beacuse they are the masters of the game, but Alex Iwobi’s red card wasn’t fair. The foul wasn’t an intentional one.
post match interview
