Jean-Louis Gasset: ‘Nigeria opted for a deep defensive approach’

On Thursday, Cote d’Ivoire endured a disappointing 1-0 defeat against Nigeria in their second Group A fixture of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Cote d’Ivoire 2023.

According to coach Jean-Louis Gasset, the Elephants encountered an ultra-defensive system implemented by the Nigerians.

“It was a very physical match; Nigeria chose to play very low with a five-person defense to exploit counterattacks with their star striker. It was a tightly contested match,” he remarked.

Additionally, he criticized his players for their inability to respond to the physical challenge imposed by José Peseiro’s team. “We didn’t give the impression of being able to compete physically,” noted the French technician.

Despite this lackluster performance, Gasset maintains confidence in his players, anticipating improvement.

“We knew that we had a young team in terms of experience but not in terms of quality. I have confidence in this group; I know that it is young and tender; it simply requires psychological work,” stated the coach.

The upcoming third match against Equatorial Guinea next Monday holds decisive importance.

Gasset hopes to regain Sébastien Haller and Simon Adingra, two key players who have been notably absent from his team since the start of the competition.

“We are going to prepare for a win. I hope our two injured players can play at least part of the match,” he concluded.

‘I told my players not to savor the victory.’

Shakes up Group A

Nigeria landed a significant blow in the TotalEnergies CAF AFCON knockout qualification race by defeating hosts Cote d’Ivoire 1-0 in Thursday’s titanic Group A clash.

Before a packed Stade Alassane Ouattara in Abidjan, the two African heavyweights served up a pulsating contest.

The Ivorian fans were silenced when William Troost-Ekong converted a 54th-minute penalty after Victor Osimhen was fouled.

Despite relentless roars of support, the Elephants could not find an equalizer as the Super Eagles held on for a famous victory.

Nigeria managed the closing stages expertly to condemn the stunned Elephants to their first defeat.

The Super Eagles stood tall amid intense Ivorian pressure to land a psychological blow on one of Africa’s proudest footballing nations.

The 1-0 triumph lifts Nigeria level on four points with surprise package Equatorial Guinea at the Group A summit.

Cote d’Ivoire remains third on three points and likely needs to beat Equatorial Guinea to reach the knockouts.

By subduing the hosts in their imposing fortress, Nigeria has emphatically revived their AFCON campaign.

The Super Eagles stood tall amid intense Ivorian pressure to land a psychological blow on one of Africa’s proudest footballing nations.

Having flexed their muscles by quietening the Abidjan crowd, Peseiro’s men have warned TotalEnergies AFCON 2023 rivals.

Below are the match facts

• Côte d’Ivoire is the second host country to lose in the group stage of a home Africa Cup of Nations in the 21st century, following Equatorial Guinea’s 1-0 defeat to Zambia in 2012.

• Nigeria have scored at least one goal in 13 of their 14 Africa Cup of Nations group games over the last five editions in which they have participated, only failing to beat Madagascar in 2019 (2-0 defeat). At the same time, the Super Eagles have kept 8 clean sheets over this period.

• 6 goals were scored on average in the games between Côte d’Ivoire and Nigeria at the Africa Cup of Nations, with 11 goals scored in seven matches. This is the co-lowest ratio in a match played at least as often in the competition (1.6 – 11 goals in 7 games also for Egypt-Morocco).

• Côte d’Ivoire has conceded a penalty goal in the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time since 2015 and a Dieumerci Mbokani strike for DR Congo. At each of the previous two editions (2019 and 2021), the Elephants conceded a penalty before being saved by their woodworks, each time against Algeria.

• Goalscorer in the opening game of the Africa Cup of Nations, Seko Fofana attempted five shots today against Nigeria, no Côte d’Ivoire player has attempted more in a single match in the competition since Opta began analysing this data (2010).

• Today, Victor Osimhen played 21 duels against Côte d’Ivoire, the highest tally of this Africa Cup of Nations 2023. This is the third-highest tally for a Nigeria player at an AFCON since Opta began analyzing this data, behind Emmanuel Emenike (25 in 2013) and Paul Onuachu (23 in 2019).

Emerges as the standout player in the thrilling encounter against hosts

AFCON 2023: ‘How Super Eagles trampled on Elephants’ – Osimhen on Nigeria’s victory over Ivory Coast © provided by Daily Post Nigeria

From the first round of matches

Ebou Adams (right) and Omar Colley (left) battle Senegal’s former Watford winger Ismaila Sarr

After the first round of matches of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Cote d’Ivoire 2023, CAFOnline looks at the top 10 highlights of the competition thus far.

1. Ebou Adams from The Gambia was the first player to receive a red card in the competition during the match against Senegal. Guinea’s François Kamano was also sent off against Cameroon on the same day. Tanzanian Novatus Miroshi (against Morocco) increased the number of expulsions after the first 12 matches to 3.

2. Mostafa Mohamed is the fastest scorer in TotalEnergies CAF AFCON history. The Egyptian striker scored after 1:30 against Mozambique.

3. Egypt conceded two goals against Mozambique, more than in their 11 previous group matches in the African Cup of Nations (1 against Nigeria in 2022).

4. Senegal and Morocco are the authors of the most significant scores in these first matches after 3-0 victories over The Gambia and Tanzania, respectively.

5. The top scorer of the tournament so far is Lamine Camara. The Best Young African Player of the Year takes the lead in the scorers ranking with two goals after his double against Gambia.

6. Cameroon is undefeated in its last 10 TotalEnergies CAF AFCON opening group matches.

7. Youssef Msakni played his 100^th match with Tunisia during the defeat against Namibia (0-1) in their opening of Group E fixture.

8. Still no victory for Mauritania in the TotalEnergies CAF AFCON after seven matches (2 draws, five defeats).

9. Burkina Faso finally won in the opening match of a TotalEnergies CAF AFCON after 13 attempts following their 1-0 win over Mauritania. Until then, the Stallions had remained on five draws and seven defeats.

10. Namibia finally had their first victory of the TotalEnergies CAF AFCON with a 1-0 victory over Tunisia. This is their fourth participation.

11. In total, 27 goals were scored after the first 12 matches. Forty-two (42) yellow cards were distributed, i.e., 3.5 cards per match, against three red cards. Five (5) draws were recorded. The most common score is 1-1 (4 times). All matches have recorded goals in the opening round.

Hat-trick hero Nsue targeting TotalEnergies CAF AFCON golden boot

Equatorial Guinea’s Emilio Nsue is the first player to score a hat-trick at the Africa Cup of Nations since 2008 (FRANCK FIFE)

Nigeria’s coach questions why Sadiq can play for Real Sociedad despite missing the Africa Cup with an injury

AP reports that Nigeria coach José Peseiro is “confused” about why Umar Sadiq can play for the Spanish team Real Sociedad despite an injury ruling the forward out of the Africa Cup of Nations.

Nigeria’s supporters cheer before the African Cup of Nations Group A soccer match between Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea at the Stade Olympique Alassane Ouattara B’Ebimpe in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Sunday, Jan. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba) SA

“If you create the same opportunities, you’re going to score,” Peseiro said Wednesday. “Like I said the last time: Sometimes, the god gives; sometimes, the god takes. Sometimes, the god takes, and sometimes, the god gives. It’s the right time for god to give (to) us.”