Nigeria manager José Peseiro has called on his side to be more clinical up front despite boasting the strongest defence at the Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire.
The Super Eagles are into the semi-finals after a 1-0 win over Angola which represented their fourth straight clean sheet at the competition.
Quietly and without fanfare, Nigeria are steadily advancing in the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations 2023 with a clash with South Africa on Wednesday.
The coach and his players are now two matches away from a fourth triumph for Nigeria.
While praising Nigeria’s defensive solidity, Peseiro hopes to see improvements in attack.
“Once again we played without conceding, scored a goal, but I would have liked more. The team could have created more opportunities,” he said.
With just six goals scored in five games, the Portuguese feels Nigeria aren’t capitalizing on their quality.
“We are a quality team, Angola was very good, but we had more luck. I remain satisfied with my players but want us to be more efficient,” Peseiro added.
The manager did admit that chance creation hasn’t been helped by injury absences.
“We’re missing some key creators like Iheanacho and Aribo, so it’s been hard. But others must now step up,” he noted.
As Nigeria chase a fourth AFCON crown, Peseiro knows finding a clinical edge could be decisive.
A victory against South Africa on Wednesday at the Stade de la Paix in Bouaké (5:00 PM GMT) would bring them closer to this important goal.
The Super Eagles have ground out results thanks to their miserly defence. But should they rediscover their scoring touch, Peseiro may yet lead Nigeria back to the pinnacle of African football.
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