Despite acknowledging the quality and superiority of Nigeria’s Super Eagles in their 1-0 quarterfinal loss, Pedro Goncalves has blamed their defeat on tiredness.
“It’s true we faced a very strong opponent, but the Nigerian players were fresher than ours. Their physical edge allowed them to create more chances.”
He added: “Most of their players compete at a very high level and haven’t left Abidjan throughout the tournament.
“We, however, played in three different cities, which caused fatigue for my players. When you travel like we did and face a strong team like Nigeria, it becomes difficult.”
He however, said that the experience of the Nigerian side came to fore in the tie.
“Most of my players are from the domestic league and lack experience in major tournaments like AFCON.”
He singled out Nigeria’s goal scorer Ademola Lookman as one of the key players that could wreak havoc against his team, and it turned out the Atalanta forward scored the winning goal that ended Angola’s dream.