Okocha had said before the 1-0 defeat to Tunisia, that the last 16 encounter would be the Eagles’ biggest challenge
By Kehinde Okeowo
Super Eagles’ former midfielder, Austin ”Jay Jay” Okocha has said the Carthage Tunisia won the round of 16 encounter against the Eagles because they employed more superior tactics.
Tunisia despite finishing third in their group, defeated Nigeria on Sunday to set up a last-eight showdown with Burkina Faso in the ongoing African Cup of Nations
Veteran striker Youssef Msakni scored the only goal of the match in the 47th minute and the Carthage Eagles defended their lead and eventually triumphed over a 10-man Nigeria team in Garoua.
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Nigeria had chances to equalise in the dying minutes of the game but poor marksmanship from Moses Simon and Sadiq Umar proved costly at the end for the Eagles.
Nigeria legend, Okocha had earlier warned the Super Eagles to be wary of the Tunisians, while speaking as a pundit on Supersport, saying the game will be the Eagles’ toughest match so far in the tournament.
He said, “I think it is good to see that we are flying high, but the most important one is the next game and we can only justify our performances so far if we go on and win the next one.
“So every next game is the toughest one for you and the one you have to win. I hope we will carry on the good job that we are doing so far.”
The 55-year-old former Paris St Germain player after the Tunisia defeat said the Eagles lost to a team who were tactically superior and urged Nigeria to learn from the defeat in the future.
“They (Tunisia) executed their tactics well. This is a disappointing loss. They outclassed Nigeria. I have always said that you are as good as your next game. This is a lesson for every big team.” Okocha said.