National Teams
AFCON 2023: ‘We’ll get a good result against Nigeria’ – Guinea Bissau coach Cande
By Oyediji Oluwaseun Babatunde
Head coach of the Djurtus, Baciro Cande believed his side could spring up a surprise Ahead of Monday’s final Group A encounter with Nigeria.
After two losses from two games in Group A, the journey of Guinea Bissau at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) seemed over.
Both sides qualified for the tournament from the same group as the Guinean stunned the Super Eagles 1-0 in Abuja before the three-time African champions paid them back in their own coin on their own ground in the return leg.
With the shock win in Abuja still fresh in their memories, Cande is hoping his side can hurt Jose Peseiro’s men.
“I trust my team. We had good qualification performance. Mentally we are strong. If we are here, it means we worth to be here,” Cande told journalists during the pre-match press conference in Abidjan on Sunday.
“We know that football is what it is but we will try to get a good result tomorrow (Monday).”
A 2-0 loss to hosts Cote D’Ivoire was followed by a 4-2 defeat to Equatorial Guinea as the chance of progression alrewadoast seemed unclear for the Djurtus at AFCON 2023.
“We are excited to play a good tournament. We still have a match to end this tournament. We know that it will be difficult but everything is possible,” he continued.
“I do believe everything is possible. We have a lot of surprises in football. We believe in our strength. We have an objective which is to win points after this match. Physically, we will be ready tomorrow to face a strong Nigerian side.” He concluded.
In the last three matches between both sides, Nigeria has won two while Guinea Bissau’s lone victory came in Abuja on March 24, 2023 thanks to Mama Balde’s lone goal.
