Super Eagles: Ajayi reveals area for improvement ahead of Tanzania 2nd leg – “There’s no excuse”

Super Eagles defender Semi Ajayi has noted that their ability to adapt to different playing conditions is one of the team’s priorities ahead of the second leg of their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Tanzania on Tuesday.

Nigeria claimed a 3-1 win over the Taifa Stars in the first leg of their AFCON 2027 qualifiers clash on Friday. But they have the return fixture coming up. They need to get another win to remain in a good position heading into the final two games of the series.

The last time Nigeria played away from home was against Guinea-Bissau, and they got thrashed 3-1. One of the key reasons that the players gave for the loss was due to the poor pitch in Guinea-Bissau.

So ahead of the reverse fixture in Zanzibar, Ajayi stressed that the players must adjust quickly to their surroundings and produce the performance expected of them.

The defender acknowledged that playing conditions are not always ideal, but believes the Super Eagles must learn to deal with them rather than allow external factors to affect their performance.

“Playing to the conditions — sometimes the conditions aren’t great, but we have to make sure we play to them and acclimatize as early as possible. Because there’s no excuse, people want to see the result,” Ajayi said.

“Honestly, I’d say that we’ve been quite consistent. When you look at the competitive games, there haven’t been many losses since the new manager came in,” he said.

“So yeah, the last camp was definitely a blip, and one we need to put behind us quickly and improve from. It was a bad performance and a bad result.”

Semi Ajayi explains that all teams rely on individual brilliance to win games. #PoojaDissects https://t.co/CNdj2Ze4HI

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For Ajayi, the responsibility lies with the team to prepare properly, understand the conditions and find a way to get the required result.

Can Super Eagles Still Qualify For AFCON 2027?

As it stands, the Super Eagles are actually in a very good position to qualify for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, especially after Guinea-Bissau’s 1-1 drew with Madagascar earlier before Nigeria beat Tanzania 3-1.

The three-time African champions have their fate in their hands at the moment, as they only just need to win their remaining games in the series to qualify.

Defeating Tanzania away from home should not be a difficult task for Nigeria, considering how the first leg in Uyo went, with Nigeria dominating the play and winning 3-1.

But the decisive game will be at home to Guinea-Bissau in March. Nigeria need to beat them by three goals or more, not because it would be a sweet revenge, but it could also count if there is a tie at the end of the series.

It will be a tough battle for Nigeria. But with the quality of players at Chelle’s disposal, they should be able to win their remaining games and seal the AFCON 2027 ticket.