Nigeria assistant coach, Joseph Yobo has hailed Super Eagles’ solid defending after they defeated Egypt 1-0 in their 2021 Africa Cup of Nations opener on Tuesday.
The three-time African champions won the group game, thanks to a sparkling strike from Kelechi Iheanacho in the 30th minute.
The Pharaohs stepped up their game in the second half and threw everything at the Super Eagles in their quest to restore parity.
However, the quartet of William Troost-Ekong, Kenneth Omeruo, Ola Aina and Zaidu Sanusi held firm to keep a clean sheet.
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“The defenders played as partners and not as individuals.
“Also, the defence played as a unit; from front to back they were very solid and did not take any chances.
“As a defender, if you have to kick – you kick and if you have to play you play. [Against Egypt] the boys worked so hard from the back and they kept a clean sheet which is very commendable.
“I feel very relieved because the first game is always very important.
“If you lose your first game then you start doing the math, but we got even better and we won.
“We have three points although there are still two more games to play. This result against Egypt gives us confidence going into the next game,” Yobo told Goal.
