COTE D’IVOIRE head coach Jean-Louis Gasset has admitted that his side struggled to match the Super Eagles of Nigeria tactically and physically in their AFCON 2023 Africa Cup of Nations clash.
The hosts were beaten 1-0 in Abidjan yesterday courtesy of William Troost-Ekong’s emphatic second half penalty after Victor Osimhen was fouled in the box.
The Super Eagles, deploying a 3-4-3 formation, restricted the Elephants to very few chances through the superb defensive efforts of Ola Aina, Calvin Bassey, Troost-Ekong, Semi Ajayi and Zaidu Sanusi, and they earned a first-ever win against Cote d’Ivoire on Ivorian soil.
“It was a very physical match; Nigeria chose to play very low with a five-man defence to exploit counterattacks with their star striker (Osimhen),” Gasset explained while reviewing the match.
“It was a tightly contested match. We didn’t give the impression of being able to compete physically.”
With the result, the Super Eagles rose to second spot in Group A with four points, while Cote d’Ivoire slipped to third place with three points.
Equatorial Guinea, who had drawn 1-1 with Nigeria in their opening match, top the group on goal difference after beating Guinea-Bissau 4-2 yesterday, with the Djurtus bottom without any points.
