‘Our Focus and Concentration Must Be 100%’: Ikpeme Charges Eagles to Stay Focused vs Guinea-Bissau
Acting General Secretary of the Nigeria Football Federation, Dr Emmanuel Ikpeme, has urged the Super Eagles to maintain maximum concentration when they face Guinea-Bissau in Tuesday’s 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in Bissau.
Ikpeme issued the charge after the Nigerian delegation arrived in Bissau on Sunday evening ahead of the Group L encounter between two teams that won their opening matches.
The Super Eagles travelled aboard a chartered ValueJet aircraft which landed at the Aeroporto Internacional Osvaldo Vieira at 7:07pm local time, 8:07pm Nigerian time.
The Nigerian delegation was received by Consul of the Embassy of Nigeria in Bissau, Ifeanyi Obuneme Chukwuenyem, officials of the Guinea-Bissau Football Federation and members of the Nigerian community led by the President of the Nigerian Community Football Association, Agwu Ojukwu.
Ikpeme reminded the players of Nigeria’s previous success in Bissau while warning them not to underestimate the Wild Dogs.
‘We were here for a similar AFCON qualifying match three years ago, and we won by a lone goal. Victory is crucial on Tuesday, and I believe you will give your all for the three points as you did three years ago, and as you did on Friday against Madagascar in Uyo,’ Ikpeme said.
‘Our focus and concentration must be one hundred percent for the entire 90 minutes, because Guinea-Bissau is a very strong team in every way you look at it.
‘We played them at the 2021 AFCON in Cameroon and we needed all our strength and diligence to win. The team is not one that we can take for granted.’
Nigeria defeated Guinea-Bissau 1-0 at the 2021 AFCON in Garoua, with Sadiq Umar and William Troost-Ekong scoring in the second half.
The Wild Dogs subsequently stunned the Super Eagles 1-0 in Abuja during the 2023 AFCON qualifiers on March 24, 2023. Nigeria responded four days later with a 1-0 victory in Bissau, Moses Simon converting from the penalty spot.
The Super Eagles also recorded another 1-0 victory over Guinea-Bissau at the 2023 AFCON finals in Côte d’Ivoire in January 2024.
Nigeria therefore head into Tuesday’s encounter with three victories from their four previous competitive meetings with Guinea-Bissau.
With both sides opening their 2027 qualifying campaigns with victories, the Bissau clash could prove crucial in determining early control of Group L.
