Bright Osayi-Samuel has commended the performance of the Nigerian team despite falling short in their bid to reach the final of the 2025 African Cup of Nations tournament, SportPremi reports.
The Super Eagles will have to wait until the next edition of the African Cup of Nations tournament to have a shot at winning their fourth title, following their defeat to Morocco in Wednesday’s semifinal clash.
The three-time champions held on for the course of 120 minutes, but were defeated by the host nations buoyed by the massive support at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium.
Nigeria previously had a 100% record in the tournament after winning all of their first five matches, but will now head to the bronze medal match against Egypt on Saturday following the heartbreaking defeat.
Samuel Chukwueze and Bruno Onyemaechi both missed their attempts from 12 yards, while Youssef En-Nesyri netted the decisive spot-kick for the hosts nations.
Meanwhile, Nigeria will now turn their attention to the bronze medal match on Saturday, hoping to salvage an impressive tournament.
Bright Osayi-Samuel reacts to Nigeria’s painful defeat
Bright Osayi-Samuel had a tougher game compared to the quarterfinal win over Algeria, but was equal to the task as the Super Eagles kept a clean sheet against a deadly Morocco frontline.
The defender did not take a penalty kick in the shootout, but has praised the mentality of his teammates despite the defeat.
“Painful, very painful, to obviously lose. I think we played very well, defense was… the back four was amazing,” Osayi-Samuel said.
“I’m proud of the team. The manager came down and said he’s proud of the team, the (NFF) board members came down and said they’re proud of the team, so it’s just really painful that you know, we lost on penalties. Penalties is all about luck, it’s a lottery, and today we didn’t win that.”
However, the Birmingham City defender was furious with the officiating, which went against the Super Eagles several times in the contest.
Ghanaian referee Daniel Laryea struggled to impose his authority on the clash and made several contentious calls against Nigeria.
One of those calls could prove costly in their final match of the tournament, with teammate Calvin Bassey who was wrongly booked against Morocco, ruled out due to suspension.
“One thing I would say is that the referee was appalling. I’m not saying that that’s the reason why we lost, but just making very, very wrong decisions,” Osayi-Samuel added.
“It’s really painful to see that we have refs like that in a big game like today, you know. But I wish Morocco all the best.”
Nigeria will face Egypt in the bronze medal match at the 2025 African Cup of Nations tournament on Saturday in Casablanca, hoping for a victory to end their campaign on a high note.
