Nigeria coach Samson Siasia has blamed his players for their “lack of concentration” in the dying minutes, allowing Egypt to force a 1-1 draw in Kaduna on Friday in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier, Egyptian newspaper, Ahram Online has reported.
“The players should blame themselves for the result. They wasted the chance to win the game and totally lost their focus in the final minutes despite my warnings,” Siasia told reporters after the game.
Etebo Oghenekaro put the Super Eagles ahead on the hour mark but Mohamed Salah scored in stoppage time to secure a share of spoils.
The AS Roma winger was even on the verge of snatching the winner but the referee blew his final whistle just when he was going clear on goal from the halfway line, prompting an angry reaction from Egypt’s players.
However, Siasia, who took over at Nigeria earlier this month, remains defiant over his team’s chances ahead of Tuesday’s game against Egypt at Alexandria’s Borg El-Arab Stadium.
“We haven’t thrown in the towel yet and we are going to Alexandria to beat Egypt and go top,” he concluded.
The Pharaohs are on top of Group G with 7 points, two ahead of Nigeria. The group winners will automatically qualify for next year’s Nations Cup finals in Gabon.
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