Angola's Portuguese coach namechecks two Super Eagles players who have impressed him at 2023 AFCON

Speaking to the media in his homeland, Angola's Portuguese coach Pedro Gonçalves namechecked two Super Eagles players that have caught his eye at the ongoing 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast.

The Palancas Negras have become sort of a bogey team for Nigeria as the Super Eagles have only beaten them twice in nine internationals while drawing five matches. 

Angola caused a sensation in 2005 when they qualified for the 2006 World Cup ahead of Nigeria after a surprise 1-0 victory in Luanda in June 2004 before playing out a 1-1 draw in the away game.

In the voting for the Best Fifa Men's Player 2023, Pedro Gonçalves gave his first vote to Erling Haaland ahead of his compatriot Bernardo Silva and Victor Osimhen in second and third place respectively. 

Gonçalves mentioned Osimhen and one of his strike partners Ademola Lookman as he spoke about the defensively solid Nigerian team who have kept three consecutive clean sheets lining up in a 3-4-3 system.  

In quotes relayed by Sapo Desporto, Gonçalves admitted: "I myself, in the FIFA votes, also voted for him as one of the best players in the world, so we will play against a selection equipped with players with a lot of talent, who have tremendous, mind-blowing playing capacity, a lot of speed, especially derived from of the two forwards, Osimhen and Lookman, who, in fact, add great vertigo to the game.

"On the other hand, he has played with three very robust central defenders who are extremely adapted."

Lookman has been involved in three of the four goals scored by Nigeria players at the 2023 AFCON, while Osimhen has directly participated in two goals and won the game-winning penalty against Ivory Coast.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel 

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