The Minister of Sports Development, John Enoh, has said that the Super Eagles have won the hearts of Nigerians with their performance at the just concluded 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, in Cote d’Ivoire.
Recall that when the Nigeria’s team started the campaign with a 1-1 draw against a lowly-rated Equatorial Guinea in the group stage, most of their critics didn’t give them a chance.
However, coach Jose Peseiro and his boys bounced back to beat the hosts, Ivory Coast, and Guinea-Bissau to finish second in Group A.
In the round of 16, they knocked out Cameroon, knocked out Angola in the quarter-finals, and stopped South Africa via penalties in the semi-finals.
Unfortunately, the Super Eagles couldn’t stand the Elephants of Ivory Coast in the final of the tournament on Sunday, February 11.
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Reacting to the game on Monday, in a statement made available to the public, Enoh hailed the performance of the team at the AFCON, winning a silver medal and just missing out on the coveted trophy by whiskers.
He said: “We have reached the end of AFCON 2023, and I want to express my gratitude to the Super Eagles of Nigeria and the entire team who brought us this far. I applaud your commitment to winning, which led us to the finals”, the Sports minister wrote on X earlier today, February 12.
“Dear Super Eagles of Nigeria, you have won our hearts and evoked our admiration. We present you with your well-deserved accolades for standing for Nigeria until the end.
“We are proud of you. You took the silver, and we congratulate you and wish you all the best.
“Congratulations to William Troost Ekong, the player of the tournament AFCON 2023.”