Head coach of the Nigerian national football team, Jose Peseiro, has expressed hopes that goalkeeper, Stanley Nwabali will recover in time for their game against Angola in the Quarter-finals.
In the Round of 16 match against Cameroon in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations on Saturday, Nwabali was stretchered off during the last moments after colliding with Georges-Kévin N’Koudou.
The Chippa United goalie was then replaced by Francis Uzoho who ensured that he held the goalpost till the referee’s final whistle.
Speaking after Super Eagles qualified with a comfortable 2-0 win over Cameroon, Peseiro told reporters that they will assess Nwabali to know his fitness level.
Furthermore, he revealed that the asides from himself, the players also want the AFCON show stopper to be in their next game.
Peseiro said: “We will assess the state of Nwabali’s injury in the next 24 to 48 hours. It’s difficult to assess his condition while we were in the match.
But I am hoping that he will be fit for the next match. I want him to play. And the players want him to play.”
Meanwhile, in another news…
CorrectNG reported earlier that Peseiro said his players must stay humble and focus on their next game against Angola at the ongoing 2023 AFCON.
The Portuguese tactician warned the team of the threat posed by the Palancas Negras, noting that all the teams are capable of winning. He also stressed that it is important for the Super Eagles to take every opponent seriously if they want to make it to the finals.
He said; “We will now focus on our next match against Angola, which is having an excellent tournament. We must take this opponent seriously, so we will continue to sleep early and eat pasta (laughs). Jokes aside, all the teams at this stage are capable of winning the tournament.”
