Super Eagles stand-in captain, Moses Simon has emphasized that the result of the team’s defeat to the Desert Foxes of Algeria would have been different had they had an impartial arbiter in Oran on Tuesday.
FC Lorient forward Terem Moffi opened the scoring for Nigeria in the 9th minute but controversial goals from the Manchester City winger Riyad Mahrez and Yousef Attal ensured that Desert Foxes won the game 2-1.
Before the Algerian equaliser in the 41st minute Ademola Lookman had the ball at the back of the net off Moses Simon’s effort which would have made the game 2-0 at the time but the centre referee overlooked it to the chagrin of the rank and file of the Super Eagles.
Speaking to NFF Tv, Moses Simon praised the performance of his teammates but blamed the poor officiating for the defeat he opined could have ended in the Eagles favour.
“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,” Simon told NFF Tv.”We all know that the referee did not give us justice. 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. We will keep on fighting”, he added.
Credit: thenationonlineng.net
