The referee, according to Super Eagles winger Moses Simon, is to blame for Nigeria’s 2-1 friendly loss to Algeria. The Desert Foxes of Algeria defeated the Jose Peseiro-led team on Tuesday night, with Riyad Mahrez and Youcef Atal canceling out Terem Moffi’s ninth-minute opener.
The setback marks Nigeria’s third in three years to the Algerian national team, following defeats in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) semifinals and a 2020 friendly.
After the referee nullified an Ademola Lookman goal in the first half for offside in the buildup, the Super Eagles had a couple of refereeing calls go against them.
Simon, the Super Eagles captain on the night, criticised the referee for not being fair in his officiating of the game, which took place at the Miloud Hadefi Stadium in Oran, Algeria.
According to BrilaFM, Simon stated – “Actually the game did not go the way we planned it. But it’s part of the job because we learn every day and I believe we will pick a lot from it. We all know that the referee did not give us justice,”
He continued “But then the coach said we should forget about it and keep fighting. We just need to encourage and motivate ourselves because we play for pride, we play for our family and the Nigerian fans. I believe we did our best but it did not go as planned.”
In Peseiro’s first six matches as coach of the Nigerian national team, the Super Eagles have lost three games, won two, and drawn one.