Former Super Eagles goalkeeper Ike Shorunmu has shared insights into how Nigeria can approach their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final clash against Algeria, Soccernet.ng reports.
On the back of four victories at the 35th edition of the tournament, the Super Eagles of Nigeria have a bigger fish to fry when they tackle the Desert Warriors.
Eric Chelle says his team are fully focused ahead of the game, and it is hoped the 2013 AFCON champions can turn that focus into positive results at the Stade de Marrakech this evening.
Ike Shorunmu on AFCON knockout approach
Shorunmu explained that tournament football demands flexibility and careful planning, particularly in the knockout stages.
“The good thing is that when you are in a tournament, you need to have a lot of strategies to keep going,” he revealed to R.org.
“The way you play in the group stage is quite different from the knockout stages. In the knockout stage, you need to have another strategy that when you score a goal, you need to have a good defence, a good planning, good thinking for game management – that was the difference for us.”
He recalled Nigeria’s approach during the 2013 AFCON, where careful analysis of Burkina Faso in both the group stage and final paid dividends.
“Against Burkina Faso, we first played them in the group stage and it ended 1-1. Later in the final, we won 1-0 so it was a kind of match that required us to be very careful.”
Shorunmu stressed that the Super Eagles must thoroughly study Algeria’s players, particularly their forwards.
“We really analysed their team and we singled out their striker who was Bance after a lot of studies about him. The conclusion was that we shouldn’t let any crosses from both sides, either from the right side or the left side so he was not able to get an opportunity to use his head. It was something that paid off and I’m thankful for the goalkeeper, Enyeama, and the solid defenders that we had.”
Nwabali’s Role and Mental Strength
The former custodian also urged fans to appreciate Stanley Nwabali, Chippa United’s shot-stopper, for his consistency and professionalism.
“My advice to the goalkeepers is to be on top of their game because if the goalkeeper is good, that means we are one point ahead of the opponent,” he said.
“One thing I want you to understand is that everybody has their own philosophy of life. For Nwabali’s philosophy of life, if you know him from the Nigerian league, that’s the way he is. But you still need to work on him mentally to let him know that this department is a very sensitive department. If he does it right, he gets his flowers but when he performs otherwise, he might be locked out.”
Shorunmu concluded by praising Nwabali’s steady development since AFCON 2023 in Côte d’Ivoire and urged Nigerians to support the goalkeeper as the Super Eagles prepare to face Algeria.
“Frankly speaking, Nwabali has been doing a wonderful job since the last tournament, and I want Nigerians to encourage him with support.”
The Super Eagles of Nigeria will be hoping to advance to the next round, where they could face Morocco, who defeated Cameroon last night, with kick-off set for 17:00 local time.
