Nigeria coach Jose Peseiro has admitted to being impressed with his players for their remarkable attitude in the 6-0 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying victory against Sao Tome and Principe at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo on Sunday.
The Super Eagles were dominant from the outset and Napoli striker Victor Osimhen headed them in front after just 13 minutes. Ademola Lookman added a second with a neat finish before Osimhen netted a penalty after the break to put the result beyond doubt. Taiwo Awoniyi and Samuel Chukwueze also got in on the act as Nigeria ran riot.
Osimhen completed his treble late on to cap a sensational individual display to end the qualifying campaign as Nigeria’s top scorer with ten goals from just five appearances.
Read Also: Osimhen Hits Hat Trick As Nigeria Wallop Sao Tome
“My players showed commitment, I pushed them to do well. Normally when you play against a team that is not strong, everybody relax,” said the Portuguese tactician after the game, adding: “In this game, they didn’t relax, they put up a spectacle from the first minute to the last they were fighting. They played a good game, we won 6-0 which was good.”
The 63-year-old further thanked the fans for turning out in large numbers to support the team by saying: “I would like to thank the people of Akwa Ibom State for the honour bestowed on us. The atmosphere inside the stadium was good and the fans were fantastic too. I want to say thank you to them. The pitch here is fantastic and the hotel too.”
Meanwhile, Sao Tome and Principe forward Ricardo Cardoso said his side gave their best but were overpowered by the Super Eagles. “Nigeria have a good team, they have good players in the Premier League and other big leagues. It was difficult to play against them but we did our best,” he said, adding: “We really love the ambiance at the stadium. It was a good experience for me and my teammates.”
Following the win the Super Eagles sealed their place at the top of Group A on 15 points, scoring 22 goals in the six matches of the group.