Ahead of tomorrow’s 2023 AFCON final match between the Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire and Nigeria’s Super Eagles, a football enthusiast, Engineer Mohammed Buba Jajere, has said the hosts will have more pressure to deal with than their opponents.
While three-time African champions Nigeria edged out the Bafana Bafana of South Africa 4-2 on penalties after playing out a 1-1 draw in regulation time to reach the final, Cote d’Ivoire left it late to beat DR Congo 1-0 in the other semi-final tie.
The finals on Sunday at Olympic Stadium of Ebimpe is a repeat of the group A fixture which the Super Eagles won by a lone goal.
The Super Eagles also won their last group match 1-0 against Guinea-Bissau but the Ivorians suffered a humiliating 0-4 in the hands of lowly ranked Equatorial Guinea.
‘You lied, no bandits in Gombe,’ Police fault NSCDC
Unmasking Nigeria’s Insecurity: A failure of governance and responsibility
The scandalous loss threw the whole country into mourning but the Elephants survived as one of the best losers to remain in the championship.
Having been revived by the Round of 16 victory against Senegal, then Quarter-final win against Mali and Semi-final triumph over DR Congo, the Elephants are rearing for a third AFCON title at the expense of Nigeria.
However, Jajere is of the opinion that the Elephants may struggle to cope with the weight of expectations from their teeming fans when they go up against the Super Eagles tomorrow.
“It promises to be a very tough match for both sides but the pressure will be more on the Elephants who will have to deal with the huge expectation from their fans.
“Having such enormous home support is one thing, managing the pressure that comes with it is another thing.
“If the Ivorians fail to deal with the pressure, then the Super Eagles who have demonstrated the capacity to play under intense pressure will carry the day,” he said.
Jajere, therefore, reiterated that the team with more composure will take home the coveted trophy.
