'Showed a lot of character' - 1994 AFCON winner Okocha says Super Eagles deserved their win v CIV 

1994 Africa Cup of Nations-winning midfielder Austin Okocha has heaped praises on the Super Eagles for their performance in the 1-0 victory over Ivory Coast in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.

A goal from skipper William Troost-Ekong from the penalty spot was all Nigeria needed to get the better of the Elephants and secure their first victory of the competition.

The win puts the three-time African champions in a good position to advance to the round of 16, having now garnered 4 points same as table-toppers Equatorial Guinea who have a better goal difference.

In his post-match reaction, Okocha praised the performance of José Peseiro's side and also said they were deserving of the victory 

"It was an important victory for us. It puts us in a very good position," Okocha said to France 24.

"It was a very difficult game, it is never easy to play against the host  but we showed a lot of character today and deservingly we won the game."

Nigeria will still need to avoid a loss in their last game against Guinea-Bissau next Monday to confirm their place in the next round 

Okocha also spoke about Ivory Coast and was of the opinion that the host nation can still go further in the competition despite the loss to their West African counterparts.

"It is always difficult to play at home, the pressure is always on you and Côte d'Ivoire love their football.

"They just don't want to win, they want to win in style which puts the player under a lot of pressure but I think they still have a good chance of going far in the tournament.

"It is football and you know anything is possible in football. Sometimes, you might need the defeat to bounce back, you might need to lose a game to correct your mistakes.

"If everything is going fine, you think you are untouchable, so sometimes defeat helps team to bounce back".

The Elephants already have 3 points which means all hope is not lost ahead of their last game against Equatorial Guinea on Monday evening.

Abdulkareem Abdulhamid

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