Stanley Nwabali, the goalkeeper of the Super Eagles in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Cote d’Ivoire, has explained why he directed his voice towards his teammate Alex Iwobi during their quarterfinal match against Angola on Friday.
Nigeria secured a 1-0 victory over Palancas Negras, securing their spot in the semifinals of the tournament, thanks to Ademola Lookman’s goal in the first half.
In the 59th minute, the cameras captured a moment where Nwabali was seen shouting at Alex Iwobi, the midfielder from Fulham.
This incident occurred just moments after the Angolan team came dangerously close to scoring an equalizer, courtesy of substitute Zini.
Iwobi, a former player of Arsenal, was deemed responsible for some careless play in the midfield, resulting in a counter-attack from Angola.
Nwabali told reporters in the mixed zone: “It’s a team game, so everyone needs to switch on; it doesn’t matter, so maybe it was our strategy at that moment. I don’t feel like anything happened, so it’s okay.
“You can see we’ve kept four clean sheets and conceded one goal; the guys are good. Our understanding is getting better as the game goes on. We keep understanding each other.”
