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Pedro Goncalves, the Palancras Negras of Angola coach has stated reasons why his side lost 1-0 to the Super Eagles of Nigeria on Friday night, at the Stade Felix Houphouet-Boigny.
Ademola Lookman scored in the dying minutes of the first half of the quarter-final encounter and it proved to be the only goal of the match.
Speaking at his post-match interview after the game, Goncalves blamed his side’s loss for fatigue, as they had to play in three cities, unlike Nigeria, who have been camped in Abidjan throughout the tournament.
The Portuguese also said that most Nigerian players play in high-level competitions in Europe, while most of his own players play in the Angolan domestic league, adding that they lack experience.
“It is true that we played against a very strong opponent. But the Nigerian players were fresher than ours, and their physical display made them able to create more chances than us,” Goncalves said.
“Most of their players take part in very high-level competitions, and they have never gone out of Abidjan. But we’ve gone to three different cities in the course of this tournament, so this triggered fatigue for my players.
“Also, most of my players play in the home league, and some of them aren’t experienced playing in big competitions like the AFCON.”
