Nigeria forward Akor Adams says the Super Eagles have accepted responsibility for their 3-0 defeat by Guinea-Bissau in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers and are already working to address the problems from the match.
The result left Nigeria second in their qualifying group on three points, while Guinea-Bissau moved to the top with six points.
Adams acknowledged that Nigeria’s performance against Guinea-Bissau was below the level expected of the team, despite the preparations that had gone into the fixture.
Speaking to the Nigeria media team ahead of the international friendly against Russia, Adams said: “I think there are many factors that happen in the game, but its not a game we should lose, which we would take responsibility for, and we have taken responsibility for that.”
The forward said the Super Eagles had understood the significance of the fixture before facing Guinea-Bissau and had prepared thoroughly for the encounter.
“Its a game we prepared very well for. We know how important it was to us in the qualification phase. But looking back, we are already making corrections to what happened in the game.”
The 3-0 loss has put Nigeria in second place in their group, three points behind Guinea-Bissau, who have collected six points.
For Adams, the focus is now on learning from the defeat rather than allowing the result to disrupt the team’s preparations for their next fixture.
Nigeria will face Russia in an international friendly, giving the Super Eagles an opportunity to return to action after the disappointing result against Guinea-Bissau.
Adams’ comments suggest the Nigerian squad has already turned its attention towards addressing the shortcomings that contributed to the heavy defeat. He said the team had taken responsibility for what happened and was making corrections.
The defeat was particularly significant because of its impact on the qualifying standings. Guinea-Bissau’s victory took them to six points and the top of the group, while Nigeria remained on three points in second place.
Despite the setback, Adams stressed that the team had prepared seriously for the qualifying match. The forward said Nigeria knew how important the fixture was to their hopes in the qualification phase, but the result ultimately did not reflect their preparations.
The Russia friendly therefore comes as Nigeria look to move forward from the loss. Adams’ assessment indicates that the players have already begun reviewing what went wrong and identifying areas that need to be corrected.
The Super Eagles now have three points from their qualifying campaign and sit behind Guinea-Bissau in the group. The 3-0 scoreline represents Nigeria’s latest setback, but Adams believes the team must take responsibility and use the experience to improve.
With the next assignment against Russia approaching, the forward has made it clear that Nigeria are not ignoring the defeat. Instead, the team is examining the performance and working on corrections after a result Adams believes should not have happened.
The friendly against Russia will provide Nigeria with their next chance to respond on the pitch, while their position in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifying group leaves them needing to build on their three points.
For now, Adams’ message is one of accountability and correction: Nigeria prepared for the Guinea-Bissau game, understood its importance, but failed to produce the result they wanted. The Super Eagles have accepted responsibility and are now focused on putting those mistakes right.
