Super Eagles take final deep breath in Lagos and hope to soar at 2023 AFCON
The last time Nigeria won the African Cup of Nations was over a decade ago at a tournament hosted by South Africa, but this year, the national football team is hoping for a change that most certainly won't come easy.
Even though their fans felt utterly disappointed about their last friendly match defeat against Guinea, the Super Eagles of Nigeria have high hopes that they can repeat their 2013 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) victory when they head out to Côte d’Ivoire for the 34th edition of the tournament starting on Saturday.
After their 2-0 loss to Guinea on Monday, 8 January in Abu Dhabi, the Super Eagles touched down in Lagos State where they tried to gather confidence and take in vital lessons from their defeat at a dinner hosted by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
The team’s adopted success mantra hinges on a campaign slogan, “Let’s do it again.” Hopefully, that phrase sticks when they take on Equatorial Guinea on Sunday in their first 2023 AFCON match.
If the Eagles were hoping for inspiration, they can see a substantial amount in the governor’s message marking the send-forth dinner.
“To the Super Eagles: You carry the hopes of a nation on your shoulders. As you represent us at the #AFCON2023, may you play with passion, unity, and determination. Make Nigeria proud and bring the cup home.”
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The last time Nigeria won the African Cup of Nations was over a decade ago at the edition in South Africa. Before the 2013 victory, the mood was just like right now when fans had started to feel that the cup had eluded them for far too long.
This was because the Super Eagles’ last taste of tournament success pending their 2013 triumph was 19 years prior. So, when their team made it up the road to becoming that year’s cup winner, fans found themselves feeling jubilant once again.
Altogether, it remains just only their third time finding AFCON success still and this year they are hoping for more.
On the Super Eagles’ side, the team captain Ahmed Musa has been holding briefs for his colleagues in an Instagram post asking supporters to, “just believe in the team, pray for us – that is the only thing we need.”
With the fan’s support, says Musa, the Super Eagles can go far.
Ayodelé is a Lagos-based journalist and the Content and Editorial Coordinator at Meiza. All around the megacity, I am steering diverse lifestyle magazine audiences with ingenious hacks and insights that spur fast, informed decisions in their busy lives.
