Published By: Sports Desk
Last Updated: January 27, 2024, 00:00 IST
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Nigeria coach José Peseiro in contrast his staff’s meager aim tally on the Africa Cup of Nations to a bottle of ketchup, saying the targets would possibly come suddenly within the subsequent match in opposition to Cameroon.
ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast: Nigeria coach José Peseiro in contrast his staff’s meager aim tally on the Africa Cup of Nations to a bottle of ketchup, saying the targets would possibly come suddenly within the subsequent match in opposition to Cameroon.
The Super Eagles face their outdated rival and 5-time champion Cameroon within the final 16 on Saturday.
The lack of targets — one in every of the three video games thus far — are a priority for a Nigeria staff boasting African participant of the yr Victor Osimhen and speedy wingers Samuel Chukwueze and Moses Simon.
Napoli star Osimhen, specifically, has endured a irritating event by lacking a number of excellent probabilities, He scored within the opening 1-1 draw with Equatorial Guinea, however solely two of his six pictures have been on course. Osimhen had three pictures within the 1-0 win over Ivory Coast, none of them on course, whereas he was unsuccessful with 4 efforts within the ultimate group sport, a 1-0 win over Guinea-Bissau.
“I saw some statistics that said our team until now has created more clear opportunities than the other opponents,” Peseiro stated on Friday. “If you create opportunity, I cannot change our model, our game.”
The Portuguese coach stated the targets will come.
“It can happen for the next match like ketchup. Sometimes the ketchup doesn’t come, but (then) all the ketchup comes at once. It’s possible, in the next match or another match, that all the goals can come with less opportunities.”
Osimhen’s 13 pictures and 4 clear chances are high probably the most for any Nigeria participant on the event, however no participant created extra alternatives for his teammates within the group stage than Cameroon’s Georges-Kévin Nkoudou with 10.
Defense is extra of a priority for Cameroon coach Rigobert Song, whose staff conceded six targets in Group C and scraped into the knockout stage solely with a late winner from Christopher Wooh over Gambia of their ultimate group sport.
“I want to approach this competition in relation to what happened in the last match and by correcting what did not work,” Cameroon coach Rigobert Song stated. “Everything wasn’t perfect and you have to improve every day, so my players are aware. I know what needs to be done.”
Song might want to determine which goalkeeper to play after dropping Manchester United’s André Onana to the bench in favor of Onana’s cousin, Fabrice Ondoa, for the final group match. Ondoa made essential saves within the 3-2 win over Gambia, whereas Onana produced a shaky efficiency within the earlier match in opposition to Senegal.
“This is a country that has always had great goalkeepers,” Song stated. “You remember the time of Thomas N’Kono, (Joseph-)Antoine Bell – it can be shared. They’re very good goalkeepers. I’ve no problem with the goalkeeper today, all my goalkeepers are competitive. And I’ll say it again, I’m counting on 27 players and all 27 are present and ready to respond to what we need. I don’t think there’s any controversy in picking one of these goalkeepers. They get along very well and I think everyone has a chance.”
Cameroon, the Indomitable Lions, might be taking part in in the identical stadium the place they received the primary of their 5 Africa Cup titles by beating Nigeria 3-1 within the 1984 ultimate. The rivals went on to play once more within the deciders in 1988 and 2000, with Cameroon successful each occasions.
Angola performs Namibia within the first spherical-of-16 match earlier Saturday in Bouaké.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
(This story has not been edited by News18 workers and is printed from a syndicated information company feed – Associated Press)
