Nigeria had a successful AFCON despite crashing out at knockout stage, says Pinnick
Nigeria Football Federation President Amaju Pinnick has defended Nigeria’s performance at the 2021 AFCON, saying the players performed well.
The Super Eagles crashed out in the second round of the tournament following a 1-0 loss to Tunisia. It was a disappointing exit for Austin Eguavoen’s men after showing so much promise in the group stages.
Nigeria had won all three group games with a combined six goals scored and one conceded. The Super Eagles beat losing finalists Egypt in their opening game before further wins against Guinea-Bissau and Sudan.
They went into the game against Tunisia as the clear favourites as the Carthage Eagles had only qualified as one of the four best third-placed teams.
However, the Tunisians did not stick to the script as they secured a stunning 1-0 win. It was a loss that left many Nigerians disappointed but Pinnick believes the team had a successful tournament.
Good day Nigeria.
First off, I would like to thank our magnificent group of players, technical team and backroom staff for their stellar work at the just concluded 33rd AFCON. We played that competition to win it, but sometimes, you also need a bit of luck. After three wins…
— Amaju Melvin Pinnick (@PinnickAmaju) February 10, 2022
The NFF president said this in a series of tweets on his official Twitter page.
He said: Good day Nigeria. First off, I would like to thank our magnificent group of players, technical team and backroom staff for their stellar work at the just concluded 33rd AFCON. We played that competition to win it, but sometimes, you also need a bit of luck.
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After three wins …playing good football as well, we were unlucky in our Round of 16 match. Nevertheless, it was a brilliant showing by our team & showed the level of work the coaching crew put in. That has also been recognized by the latest @FIFAcom rankings placing Nigeria as the 3rd best on the continent.
Meanwhile, Pinnick also congratulated the champions Senegal, who defeated Egypt on penalties to win their first AFCON title.