Vladimir Petkovic, the head coach of Algeria’s Desert Foxes, has admitted that Nigeria made his team “suffer from all sides” during their quarter-final match at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
On Saturday, Nigeria defeated Algeria 2-0 at the Grand Stade de Marrakech to book a place in the semi-final.
Victor Osimhen and Akor Adams scored as Nigeria dominated the one-sided encounter, and Algeria did not get a shot until the 80th minute.
Speaking after the match, Petkovic said the Eagles deserved the victory because the team “showed the individual skills they possess, and physically, we were behind”.
The Bosnian tactician added that his players are devastated by the loss against a completely dominant team.
“I don’t know if I should tell the truth or be political. First of all, I want to congratulate the opponent, Nigeria, who deservedly won this match. They were better than us,” the
“We could not get into the match, especially the first 20-30 minutes. We suffered on all sides. The second half was a bit better, but it was already compromised.
“I don’t want to go into too many details, but Nigeria was better than us. We were missing a lot of things. We wanted to control the game, but the opponent was strong and prevented us from doing so. The Nigerian team showed the individual skills they possess, and physically, we were behind. We tried to come back in the second half, but we couldn’t reach the level we wanted in attack.
“Our players are disappointed and devastated after the match. They performed well in this tournament. Now the competition is over, and another tournament is coming. We must keep our heads high after this exit.”
After the match, some Algerian players and officials directed their anger and frustration towards Issa Sy, the Senegalese referee who handled the game, and his team of officials.
The Algerians confronted the match officials, and their aggression escalated into a massive on-field brawl that included a couple of Nigerian players.
The referees had to be escorted off the pitch by a team of officials to protect them from the Algerian squad’s anger. The drama continued and spilt into the dugout, where some Algerian players were seen pushing and punching their way toward what seemed like the match officials.
