Guinea-Bissau head coach Baciro Cande believes the Super Eagles have what it takes to win a fourth title at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire.
Nigeria earned a place in the Round of 16 following a 1-0 win against the Djurtus at the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium, Abidjan on Monday night.
Opa Sangante’s own goal separated both teams on the night.
Guinea-Bissau exited the competition without recording a win and scored twice in three games.
The West Africans are also yet to win a game at the AFCON finals.
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Cande, who masterminded Guinea-Bissau’s victory against Nigeria in the qualifiers has backed the Super Eagles to go all the way.
‘”Nigeria have a good team, a lot of quality players including Victor Osimhen who is the Africa’s best player,” Cande said during his interaction with the media after the game.
“It is a team I know very well and I believe they will go far in this competition.
“I believe they can win it. They are now among the favourites.”
The Super Eagles will meet the second-place team in Group C in the Round of 16 at the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium on Saturday.
By Adeboye Amosu in Abidjan
Photo by Ganiyu Yusuf
35 Comments
#Afcon 2023 #SuperEagles I think The iconic number 10 jersey of the super eagles should be rested for now until further notice. Putting that jersey on a below average player like Joe aribo shows maximum disrespect for greats and legends like JJ Okocha, Etim Esin, Henry Nwosu, Mikel Obi who all did wonders with that jersey.
In this country, our sense of giving enough attention to some salient issues is zero. How can anyone put that jersey on that boy, Aribo?
Brazil will never do this. I think that jersey should be rested for now until further notice.
I concur my brother. Players who wore number 10 jerseys for Nigeria were icons.
You have the mercurial Muda Lawal, Henry Nwosu, Etim Esin, Friday Ekpo, JJ Okocha, John Mikel Obi and briefly Alex Iwobi.
Joe Aribo is a below par player and have no business wearing number 10 jersey and to be honest Aribo has no business in the national team any longer.
Yes my brother. I wonder who is his godfather in the nff.
Though this writeup is out of point, Aribo is more purposeful as you can see from his food ball distributions which cant be compared to the aimless running around of Iwobi. For iwobi, only a stuupid coach will continue to lower his chances of winning against fielding him.
*Foot
Please, kindly define what you mean by purposeful.
If not for this culture of elevating failure, poor performance in place of objectivity and excellence, Joe Aribo and many other players should never have been in this current super eagles.
Hmmm… passing backwards is now purposeful?? You might want to take up interest in another sport. There are other options like Lawn Tennis, Cricket etc.
Iwobi can’t even pass to anywhere besides causing the team much havoc. I will tell you how.
You are very ridiculous. Iwobi is even a manage and you are talking of a far below average Aribo.
One of the biggest problem of the SE now is the midfield. All of them jitters on the ball and below average. Skills level poor, passes poor, dribbling poor, tackling poor, shooting poor, marking poor (they are escorts), free kick poor, penalty poor, crossing poor, using the spaces poor, two-to-beat-one poor, One-to-one poor, et al.
Aribo is disgracing that number 10 Jersey. The team should rest it. Until SE finds a proficient play maker.
You are very ridiculous#Charles. Iwobi is even a manage and you are talking of a far below average Aribo.
One of the biggest problem of the SE now is the midfield. All of them jitters on the ball and below average. Skills level poor, passes poor, dribbling poor, tackling poor, shooting poor, marking poor (they are escorts), free kick poor, penalty poor, crossing poor, using the spaces poor, two-to-beat-one poor, One-to-one poor, et al.
Aribo is disgracing that number 10 Jersey. The team should rest it. Until SE finds a proficient play maker.
I agree with you. It’s pathetic seeing Joe Aribo donn the number 10 jersey with his sub par performances. His best game for the Super Eagles was in his first match when we played Brazil in a friendly
The problem is with Peseiro. Even though most of the players in the Super Eagles are below average players, Peseiro has refused to bring in better players either in the local league or foreign clubs. He keeps recycling the same players who don’t merit being in the national team. Look at the Equatorial Guinea team, the highest goal scorer in this AFCON is Amilio Nsue, wearing no 10 jersey who plays for a third division team in Spain. Players like Aribo, Moses Simon and Iwobi are no longer good enough for the national team. I totally agree with you, why must a player like Aribo be wearing our no 10 jersey when there are lots of better players in the local league and Europe, who can wear that jersey honorably for the Super Eagles.
Etim Esin shouldn’t be on that list
I hope not to see Aribo in Nigeria team again.
Aribo is not a bad player super eagles against Guinea Bissau was complacent.The whole team didn’t come to the party.It was a lethargic performance like they were hungover hahaha…
Meanwhile,Aribo is a regular at on form Southampton playing week in and out,he can’t be a terrible player and get constantly picked by the manager.
His performances for the super eagles in my opinion is good but he can do better.
However,the manager should get busy after the Afcon in search of quality additions epecially in the midfield where i think we need more options to bring competition to the team and improve their overall quality.
Hahaha! Who’s comparing ówobi to Aribo there? Make we hear word for there’s no basis for comparison. Aribo as far this tournament and despite the few minutes he was played, is better than that wig carrying aimless running around midfielder called iwobi.
Cande in my assessment isn’t right at all because we have not shown much desire to go through the second round. My personal assessment though.
I no fit laff. Pray Yusuf recovers sooner than his doctors otherwise, Aribo is better eith his purposeful ball distributions. Iwobi abi Ówobi ke?
COACH…What about the team that beat you 4-2?
Coacg Cande is here humbled that’s all i can say.
You are very ridiculous#Charles. Iwobi is even a manage and you are talking of a far below average Aribo.
One of the biggest problem of the SE now is the midfield. All of them jitters on the ball and below average. Skills level poor, passes poor, dribbling poor, tackling poor, shooting poor, marking poor (they are escorts), free kick poor, penalty poor, crossing poor, using the spaces poor, two-to-beat-one poor, One-to-one poor, et al.
Aribo is disgracing that number 10 Jersey. The team should rest it. Until SE finds a proficient play maker.
Aribo is a better baller than your Ówobi who is always running around for nothing, the reason why we haven’t been scoring goals. Don’t you see Aribo incisive pass distributions? Just wait till the players gel in their next match to see the better side of Aribo.
This is the problem with most Nigerians. You pick on one player and ignore others. Why not talk about Chukwueze who happens to be the most dissappointing of all the players. Poor ball control like amateur,Less than 70% pass completion, and just a waste of space.
If you really wanna talk about underperformers, overhyped, and undeserving players that’s not worth the Super Eagles bench, Chukwueze will be number one, followed by Iwobi (was responsible for the only goal conceived), losing the ball aimlessly, missed a clear opportunity, can’t mark.
Aribo, though among the average players so far in the competition but you can’t just come online and be hiding under gbajue, focus on a single player and ignore the worst player on the team.
Aribo is a better baller than your Ówobi who is always running around for nothing, the reason why we haven’t been scoring goals. Don’t you see Aribo incisive pass distributions? Just wait till the players gel in their next match to see the better side of Aribo.
My own is that I pray the coach don’t read mostnof you guys comment here and stick to his new discovered tactics, if you all want a fancy and Barca like style of play, you all free to do so and leave the SE and the coach alone.
We complain too much habba, last AFCON when eguavoen was giving us good and romantic play, won our group in style and lost when it matters most at the second round, you all call him all sorts of names and got him fired, same thing with Peseiro loosing matches with attack, attack and attack style, now the old
man knew his job is on the line and deploy a safer and less risk tactics, yet you guys criticize him for not been ur Barca or man city.
Peseiro this for you. Pls and pls turn deaf ear to all this noise makers and stay with what’s working for you so far, I will prefer to struggling to the final than play sexy and get kicked out like our noisy and lousy neighbor.
But when GENERAL ROAR was in charge you all wanted an angel Gabriel style of football..so beautiful..but now people are demanding for just a barca style and you are saying that the coach shouldn’t listen to them…
Hmmm thunder wey go fire some of una ehn still dey train with brock lesnar…
I’m never one of those who condemn for ur so call general head, I support my dear SE and if tomorrow the NFF decided to get rid of Peseiro and hire you, I will still support you even though we all know MONKEY gat nothing to offer.
Your general time is over and long behind us, get ready to see more is Peseiro bcos that man is here to stay okay.
Nigeria is likely to face Senegal, Cameroon or Guinea! I hope we don’t face Senegal now though. They’re just better than us. They also have better-playing midfielders and an attack that is much better than ours. Meeting them at late stages will be much better than now
I’ll prefer Cameroon or Guinea. Definitely not Senegal at this time, but if we come across them early let’s have it. At this stage we can’t be scared of any opponent all through the end of our campaign.
Yep. Cameroon and Guinea aren’t great sides, I’ll fancy our chances against them
@ John-1. If you are really conversant with Nigeria football, then you should have known that games against Senegal and the more established teams, are always what brings the best out of our SE.
SO I WILL SAY LET ANY TEAM COME; PREFERABLY SENEGAL.
I will stylishly prefer us to avoid those smaller teams that really have nothing to lose; they always give us problem as they are always super motivated to rub shoulders with our more established stars, while there is always going to be less motivation to play by our stars who will naturally tend to underestimate these unknown opponents.
Not Senegal bro. Even with our star-studded-2000-team, we found it difficult to defeat Senegal in Lagos. We required a great ball from Oliseh to Aghahowa – the rest is history. They revenged in 2002 Nations Cup. I tell you that this current Senegal team is more hungry than the 2002 set. Last year, Senegal won almost every trophy in Africa, including beach soccer. They’re in the ascendancy. I think we’re getting decieved by the Ivory Coast result but E.G showed everyone how crap CIV are. Senegal is a dangerous team.
Well said @John-1
The problem is with Peseiro. Even though most of the players in the Super Eagles are below average players, Peseiro has refused to bring in better players either in the local league or foreign clubs. He keeps recycling the same players who don’t merit being in the national team. Look at the Equatorial Guinea team, the highest goal scorer in this AFCON is Amilio Nsue, wearing no 10 jersey who plays for a third division team in Spain. Players like Aribo, Moses Simon and Iwobi are no longer good enough for the national team. I totally agree with you, why must a player like Aribo be wearing our no 10 jersey when there are lots of better players in the local league and Europe, who can wear that jersey honorably for the Super Eagles.
Our players aren’t below average.They qualified to the next stage collecting 7 out of a possible 9 points,they deserve a pat on the back for making this possible.
Yes I agree with you 100%