By Monsurah Olatunji
Nottingham Forest defender Ola Aina has opened up about the tough time he endured during the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final, where he faced a challenging night against host nation Ivory Coast.
Aina, who struggled to contain the 23-year-old Ivorian winger Simon Adingra, admitted that his performance left much to be desired, as the Brighton & Hove Albion star repeatedly dribbled past him.
Despite playing with an injury, Aina found himself outclassed by Adingra, who made life difficult for the Nigerian defender throughout the final.
In a clip from an upcoming episode of Culture Cams, Aina humorously recounted the aftermath of the match and how his parents reacted to his struggles on the pitch.
“I got cooked by everyone, bro. Even my dad was like, ‘Olaoluwa… what happened? What happened there?’ I was like, ‘Dad… not now…’” Aina laughed.
“Even my mum, back home, sent me a voice note saying, ‘Ola, why did you let that little boy go past you like that?’”
Despite the tough defeat, Aina has bounced back impressively, becoming one of the top full-backs in Europe’s top five leagues this season.
He has been instrumental in helping Nottingham Forest maintain their third-place position in the Premier League, proving his resilience and skill on the field.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
