Super Eagles of Nigeria Head Coach Jose Peseiro has defended goalkeeper Francis Uzoho after his howler gifted Saudi Arabia the lead in Friday’s International Friendly game.
Peseiro also expressed dissatisfaction with the 2-2 result, saying his players did a good job against the last team that defeated World Champions, Argentina.
Uzoho was at fault for Saudi Arabia’s opening goal scored by Al Hilal forward, Salman Al Faraj on the hour mark.
The Omonia Nicosia shot-stopper diverted Al Faraj’s cross into his own net. A poor choice, Peseiro admitted was a mistake but one he will take responsibility for.
”I, like all my players, when they make a mistake, I take responsibility for it. I don’t know why in Nigeria they criticise the goalkeepers so much,” Peseiro said after the game.
“When I arrived, there was much talk about the goalkeepers, a lot of people wanted me to change the goalkeepers.
” I spoke with all the goalkeepers, none of them feel comfortable because the fans always attack them.
“So, If they make mistake it is my responsibility. I will take the blame for it.
Peseiro also reflected on the performance of his players against Roberto Mancini tutored Green Falcons.
“I think it was a very good game. In the first half, we could have scored three, four, five goals,” Peseiro added.
“In the second half also, we have more players against their defenders in some situations but we didn’t decide well.
“In the end, we did a good job, it was good match against the last team that beat Argentina. They tried to beat us too.
“We started with 4-4-2, tried to see if we can play with same formation all the time . To see if we can create organization within the team and have more balance. I’m happy with the performance, but not the result.”
The Super Eagles will face the Mambas of Mozambique in their next friendly on Monday, October 16, 2023 at the Estadio Municipal de Portimao, Portugal.
