National Teams
AFCON 2023 Final: Osaze Odemwingie exposes Cote d’Ivoire weaknesses vs Nigeria
By Monsurah Olatunji
Nigeria and Cote d’Ivoire will lock horns in a highly explosive Africa Cup of Nations final and former player Odemwingie has hinted at the Elephants’ weakness.
Nigeria remains undefeated so far and has conceded just two goals. Meanwhile, Ivory Coast was on the verge of elimination before getting through to the knockout stages.
Following an embarrassing 4-0 loss to Equatorial Guinea, Odemeingie believes conceding four goals is evident enough that they have a weakness to exploit.
Cote d’Ivoire is aiming for its third AFCON crown, while Nigeria are on the quest for their fourth title and their first since 2013 and the former West Bromwich Albion striker believes an early goal could prove crucial to winning the tie.
“I say Nigeria always, if we match them physically, they can’t match us for skill,” Odemwingie told Channels TV per a post on X.
“In the game, we need to unlock their defence. They conceded four against Equatorial Guinea, so there are some spaces to exploit.
“I’m sure they will show the players videos and images of where these goals came from and hopefully our boys will use these weak areas.
“Scoring will be important and if we can score first it will help us to keep their fans and home support quiet.
“The main thing is to congratulate the boys. Even if we don’t win the trophy now, I think Nigerians will be happy we got to the final.
“This is the time, always an opportunity to make a name that you can cruise for the rest of your life.
“The talent is there. You know what it means to lift a trophy and this circumstance against the host becomes more special.
“So, they are all grown-ups, they know what is at stake, gold is not silver. Silver is good but it’s not gold. The talent is there. They look solid as a unit, but I think offensively we need to do more.”
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