Nigeria: Afcon 2023 – Iwobi Refuses to Blame Injury Woes for Super Eagles’ Shaky Start

Injuries and withdrawals forced Coach Peseiro into three changes to his final squad before the tournament began in Cote d’Ivoire.

Despite the 1-1 result in their opening AFCON 2023 game against Equatorial Guinea, Super Eagles midfielder Alex Iwobi refused to blame the draw on the team’s recent injury woes.

Nigeria, the three-time African champions, could only manage a 1-1 stalemate, leaving Iwobi frustrated but undeterred. “It’s one of those days,” he explained. “We had chances, but it just wasn’t meant to be.”

He revealed that coach Jose Peseiro urged the team to push for more at halftime, and although the Eagles stepped up their game, the winning goal remained out of reach.

When asked about the impact of player injuries, Iwobi maintained a firm stance: “Not at all, because for Nigeria, we have a lot of players who can play, but of course, we are disappointed losing some players to injury, but as a nation, we have a lot of players, so that shouldn’t affect us.

Before the tournament began in Cote d’Ivoire, Coach Peseiro had to make three changes to his final squad because of injuries that led to withdrawals.

The team drafted Alhassan Yussuf as a replacement for Wilfred Ndidi; Terem Moffi replaced Victor Boniface; and Paul Onuachu joined in for the injured Sadiq Umar.

However, for Iwobi and the Super Eagles, the focus remains on moving forward. With two more group matches ahead, the Fulham midfielder believes the Eagles have ample opportunity to find their rhythm and secure a place in the knockout stages and beyond.