Super Eagles striker Akor Adams has admitted that Nigeria’s 3-0 defeat to Guinea-Bissau in the AFCON 2027 qualifiers was a disappointing result that the team must take responsibility for.
Nigeria suffered a heavy setback in Bissau on September 29, with goals from Franculino Dju, Mama Baldé and Álvaro Djaló condemning the Super Eagles to defeat and leaving them with three points from their opening two Group L matches.
Speaking after the defeat, Adams acknowledged that the result was unacceptable given the importance of the game to Nigeria’s qualification campaign.
It’s not a game we should lose, which we would take responsibility for and we have taken responsibility for that,” Adams said.
It’s a game we prepared very well for. We knew how important it was to us in the qualification phase. But looking back, we are already making corrections to what happened in the game.
The striker admitted that the Super Eagles were below their best on the day but insisted that the players understand their quality and the standards expected of them.
We were on the bad side on that day, as a group, as a team. We know our possibilities and how good we can be when we are on our best days. But that wasn’t our best day and it’s something we have to take responsibility for.
Adams also addressed the poor playing surface in Bissau but was careful not to use it as an excuse for the defeat.
I think a good pitch should be a bare minimum for African football, we all know that, and I am not making any excuses,
he said.
We are professionals. We should know that there are a lot of things that come with the game, the weather, the referee, whatever the circumstance, we should be able to find our way.
According to the forward, the disappointment was particularly painful because of the high standards the Super Eagles have set for themselves.
We already set the standards very high, so living up to that standard is what we wake up to do every day as the Super Eagles.
Adams revealed that Super Eagles captain Wilfred Ndidi was especially unhappy following the defeat.
“Yeah, the captain was pissed at us and I can understand from his point,”
The striker revealed.
“Many of the boys were not happy, completely devastated, coming away a long trip and not taking anything back home in an important qualification game.”
Despite the setback, Adams believes the Super Eagles still have enough matches remaining to recover their position in the qualification race.
“There are still games to go, but with qualifications, we try our best in this generation to not be in a place where we need another team to either do good or do bad so we qualify,”
he said.
“But we fell short against Bissau and we understand better now and we’ll make sure we come out good.”
The Super Eagles are now preparing for an international friendly against Russia on October 6, with Adams viewing the match as an opportunity to respond positively.
“When you play for your clubs, if you play on Sunday and it doesn’t go well, you look to play on Wednesday if there is a game so you can recuperate and bounce back as quick as possible,”
he explained.
The striker also welcomed the new faces in camp and expressed his excitement for those hoping to make their Super Eagles debuts.
“There are a lot of new boys in camp. I am happy for them and congratulations to those who are going to make their debut in advance. But it’s still the Super Eagles and we know what we stand for.”
Adams acknowledged the quality of the Russian team and stressed the need for Nigeria to approach the game with the right mentality.
The coach has made it clear that we are here to try our best to win. Russia is a very good team as well and I think they are very hungry to play games because of their peculiar situation, and for us, it is to give our best.
With Nigerians expecting a reaction after the defeat in Bissau, Adams promised that the players understand their responsibility.
I know Nigerians are watching, they love football a lot and they love the Super Eagles a lot. And yeah, come out with a good result and also a good performance.
