Nigeria beaten 1-0 in Ecuador friendly, Pinnick impressed with team’s performance

The Super Eagles of Nigeria were beaten 1-0 by Ecuador in an international friendly game in New Jersey, USA on Friday morning.

An early goal by Villarreal left-back Pervis Estupinan handed new Eagles coach Jose Peseiro his second defeat in a row.

Peseiro’s boys had lost 2-1 to Mexico in a friendly last weekend.

The three-time AFCON champions have now gone five straight games without a win, losing three and drawing two.

And it has been three years and counting since Nigeria last won a friendly match.

Read Also: Pinnick impressed with Eagles’ performance in Mexico friendly, says Peseiro is ‘right coach’

The Mexico and Ecuador friendlies were meant to prepare the Eagles ahead of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, where they face Sierra Leone, Guinea-Bissau, and Sao Tome and Principe.

Meanwhile, president of the Nigeria Football Federation, Amaju Pinnick, says he is impressed with the team’s display in both friendly matches.

“I am happy and I can tell you that we fulfilled our objectives of restoring the spirit of the Super Eagles following the failure to qualify for the FIFA World Cup,” Pinnick told thenff.com.

“We lost both games against Mexico and Ecuador narrowly but we were up for it and never finished on the back foot. The boys gave a good account of themselves in both games.

“Given the number of first-team players that were not available, we have to praise the boys who showed up here and gave their all. They have given us confidence going into the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. The despondency is over and we can now march forward in sure-footed manner.”

Up next for the Super Eagles are the first and second fixtures of the AFCON qualifiers against Sierra Leone and Sao Tome and Principe respectively.

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