Super Eagles coach Jose Peseiro has acknowledged that the Elephants of Ivory Coast were the superior side following his team’s loss in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final.
In the Africa Cup of Nations final on Sunday, hosts Ivory Coast overcame a strong deficit to defeat Victor Osimhen’s Nigeria 2-1.
Striker Sebastien Haller scored a thrilling late winner to cap off one of the most incredible major tournament turnarounds as Ivory Coast won their third continental championship.
Eagles boss Peseiro, who guided Nigeria to its first final since 2013, acknowledged that the hosts were superior that evening in his remarks after the game.
He said, “Ivory Coast were better than us today, I am sad, my team is sad, but for me, they did the maximum, each one. Sometimes you want to do something but you cannot do it.”