AFCON 2023: 4 reasons why Nigeria Super Eagles lost 2-1 to Ivory CoastAFCON 2023: 4 reasons why Nigeria Super Eagles lost 2-1 to Ivory Coast

 

Nigeria losing 2-1 to Ivory Coast in this year's final.

Nigeria's bid to win a fourth Africa Cup of Nations continues after losing 2-1 to Ivory Coast in this year's final.

After William Troost-Ekong's goal late in the first half, it looked like the Super Eagles would lift the trophy again. The captain rose highest and headed home a corner to give Nigeria the lead.

However, second half goals from Franck Kessie and Sebastian Haller gave the Elephants victory on their home turf. So what happened?

One. Peceiro's tactics were wrong. Thanks to Jose Pesseiro. After drawing 1-1 with Equatorial Guinea in the first game of the group stage, they switched to a 3-4-3 formation and led Nigeria to the final. However, cracks in this team started to appear in the semi-final match against South Africa. And against the hosts, Portugal managed to come back and come back. 2. Too many poor performances: There have been several poor performances by Nigerian players behind the scenes. Calvin Bassey was shaking.

Zaidoo Sanusi returned to the starting line-up but was uncertain. Ola Aina chose to play their worst performance in the final. Alex Iwobi was a passenger at the stadium and Samuel Chukwueze had nothing to do with the start of the match. 3. Weight of history: The Super Eagles have never beaten the host nation in an AFCON final. Ivory Coast were in a bad mood after being the last team to reach the playoffs. It was the call of fate that they had to answer. This award was given to Sebastian Haller as he was recognized as the winner. He was diagnosed with cancer about two years ago. On Sunday, he helped his country make history.

4. Bad referees: For most tournaments, fans and pundits have urged Europe's top leagues to learn a thing or two and welcome the use of video assistant referees (VAR). However, the performance until the final was difficult. The referee looked nervous and overwhelmed. Most of the 50-50 calls went the home team's way. Kessie, who equalized for the hosts, could easily have seen red after elbowing Sanusi.