Pedro Goncalves, the coach of Angola, thinks he had a compact team at the 2023 AFCON after leading the lowly-ranked team to three wins and one draw before they faced Nigeria on Friday, February 2, 2024, in the tournament quarterfinals. However, he asserted that his team lost to Nigeria because they didn’t have the same advantages as the Super Eagles of Nigeria.
The Portuguese tactician, who has been in charge of the Angolan national team since 2019, felt that the Super Eagles capitalised on the advantage of sharing the city of Abidjan since the competition began on January 13 in his evaluation of the game.
Additionally, he asserted that his players do not have the same exposure as Super Eagles players, who compete in some of the world’s top leagues.
It’s true that we have a formidable opponent to play against. However, the Nigerian players were more youthful than we were, and they were able to create more opportunities due to their physical show, according to coach Pedro Goncalves.
READ ALSO: Pastor Adeboye Fires At Killers Of Ekiti Monarchs
“Most of their players take part in very high-level competitions, and they have never gone out of Abidjan. But we’ve gone to three different cities in the course of this tournament, so this triggered fatigue for my players.
“Also, most of my players play in the home league, and some of them aren’t experienced playing in big competitions like the AFCON.”
