By OLAYINKA OWOLEWA

Super Eagles of Nigeria’s Coach, Jose Peseiro, has said that his team was keeping the goals for the next round of the ongoing 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Cote d’Ivoire.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Portuguese said this on Monday in Abidjan during his post-match news conference after a scrappy 1-0 win over Guinea Bissau in the last group A match.

The Super Eagles coach said he was happy with the 1-0 win while congratulating the Equatorial Guinea for topping the table.

He said his team wasted many scoring chances but claimed that they were keeping the goals for the next stage of the competition.

Peseiro explained that he was not afraid, or even care, about Nigeria’s next opponent in the round of 16 as he was focused on every game.

“Today, we played very good football but we missed scoring chances which is not good for us.

“Our striker, Victor Osimhen, was not at his best but I’m happy we are through to the next stage.

“I want to congratulate Equatorial Guinea for leading the group with seven points after scoring many goals. I also congratulate my team for making it to the next round.

“Today’s match was a tough one; we created four opportunities but we couldn’t convert them. But I’m still happy we progressed to the next stage.

“I believe we kept our goals for the next round; we will definitely work on our finishing ahead of our next match.

“For the next match, if you score goals you proceed to the next round,” he said.

Meanwhile, Guinea Bissau handler Baciro Candé has said that they would continue to learn after their defeat against Nigeria.

“We will continue to learn as we played good football today. This tournament is full of surprises for all of us. This is a great competition with great learning opportunities and I believe we shall do better next time.

“Our first match was different from the second match and today’s match was different from our last match. I think our players should be congratulated and should be praised for their commitment and willingness to fight.

“In the matches we played, we showed we have a brilliant future; in three to four years, our team will be more impactful,” he said. (NAN)

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