Nigeria head coach Jose Peseiro says his team lost balance towards the end of the semi-final victory against the Bafana Bafana of South Africa.
Jose Peseiro led the three-time champions Nigeria into the final, last night, as the Super Eagles defeated South Africa 4-2 on penalties in a thrilling semi-final contest at the Stade de la Paix, Bouake.
The keenly contested game ended in a 1-1 draw in 120 minutes of football with William Troost-Ekong and Teboho Mokoena scoring for the two teams.
Nigeria converted four of their penalties, while South Africa scored two, following the heroics of Nigeria goalkeeper Stanley Nwabili.
While speaking with newsmen after the encounter, Peseiro said “Around 90 minutes, I see that our team suffered, we were shaken, we lost the balance,”
“But during the break before the extra time, we put ourselves together and went into extra time with that confidence.”
The Portuguese Coach will now be hoping to crown up their effort in a remarkable way later on Sunday as they face off yet again against the host nation Cote d’Ivoire for the second time in the tournament.