A week on from the 3-0 humbling in Guinea-Bissau, Akor Adams has offered a rare glimpse inside the Nigeria dressing room. The Venezia striker describes a devastated squad and a furious Wilfred Ndidi.
There was no spin. Speaking to NFF TV, the Nigeria Football Federation’s in-house channel, Adams admitted the skipper had let the players have it, and said he understood why, according to comments carried by Pulse Sports Nigeria on Sunday. Many of his teammates, he added, were left shattered after travelling so far and coming home with nothing from a key qualifier.
It is not hard to see why. On Tuesday, September 29, at the Estádio 24 de Setembro in Bissau, the Super Eagles were second best throughout. Franculino Djú opened the scoring in the 15th minute, Mama Baldé made it two in the 66th, and Álvaro Djaló added a third deep into stoppage time (90+5). It was Nigeria’s first competitive defeat under Eric Chelle.
« We set the standards very high »
Adams did have a dig at the state of the pitch, but refused to hide behind it. His point was about standards: Nigeria, he said, must live up to the bar they have set themselves and avoid relying on other results to qualify. They fell short in Bissau, he conceded, and have learned from it.
He was hardly spared himself. Substituted during the game, he was handed a 3/10 rating by Pulse Sports.
A group already under pressure
In Group L, Guinea-Bissau lead on six points, three clear of Nigeria, who beat Madagascar 2-1 in Uyo on matchday one. Tanzania, already assured of a place as 2027 AFCON co-hosts, and Madagascar each have one point.
Next up is a friendly against Russia on Tuesday, October 6. A chance for Chelle and his players to steady the ship before qualifying resumes.