AFCON 2023: Be Cohesive Against Angola, Ex-International Tells Super

An ex-international, Felix Owolabi, has advised the Super Eagles to focus on playing cohesively when they play Angola in the quarter-final at the ongoing 2023 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Cote d`Ivoire.

Owolabi, a member of the victorious 1980 Green Eagles team in the AFCON, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Lagos.

NAN reports that the Super Eagles will play against the Stable Antelope on February 2 at the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, on Friday at 6 p.m.

He said that with a solid team spirit, the Super Eagles will qualify from the quarterfinal stage to the semifinal.

“A solid team spirit will always beat any tactical formation. In my opinion, I believe once the boys understand themselves on the pitch, everything else falls into place.

“If you check the Super Eagles, one will see that they didn’t play well in the group stage, but the more they have played, the more the players understand each other’s patterns.

“As the competition progresses, so does their understanding of each other’s game. Playing cohesively as a team will always supersede any formation,” he said.

NAN reports that the Super Eagles defeated the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon 2-0 to qualify for the quarterfinals, while Angola defeated Namibia 3-0.

Owolabi said that if the Eagles played like they did against Cameroon, they would win the hearts of Nigerians.

“Imagine if they play even better than they did against Cameroon in the round of 16; that will be impressive; the Super Eagles will become Nigeria’s sweetheart again,” he said.

(NAN)