Peseiro warns Eagles against complacency, Ekong rates Angola match toughest

Nigeria’s Portuguese coach Jose Peseiro gestures during the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) 2024 group A football match between Ivory Coast and Nigeria at the Alassane Ouattara Olympic Stadium in Ebimpe, Abidjan, on January 18, 2024. (Photo by FRANCK FIFE / AFP)

Head Coach José Peseiro has warned his Super Eagles to keep level heads and manage the euphoria of their quarter-final qualification, as they countenance a tough last-eight clash with Angola’s Palancas Negras on Friday.

The Portuguese gaffer told thenff.com on Monday that he has continued to sing it to the players that the team is yet to win anything, and that full consciousness and concentration must be activated ahead of the evening encounter at the Stade Félix Houphouet-Boigny.

“I am telling them that we are only in the last eight, that we still have some way to go, and that the farther we go, the tougher the opposition becomes. We have played four matches and won three, so we must keep level heads as we go forward.

“Our philosophy is that there are no small teams here at the Africa Cup. Every team qualified to be here, and every team in the knockout phase qualified from a group phase. Any team in the last eight is good enough for the trophy. We believe we are good enough for the trophy, but we must continue working and putting out our best on match days.”

The Negras eliminated Namibia’s Brave Warriors with a 3-0 spanking in the Round of 16, Gelson Dala hitting a brace against the regional rivals at the Stade de la Paix in Bouake.

On-field captain William Ekong told thenff.com that the match against Angola could prove to be the toughest yet for the Eagles, but that he and his teammates are ready for the battle.

“We can no longer expect any easy games. In truth, there