ESINYE sezizathu uDaniel Akpey owake waba unozinti wokuqina weNigeria, asibona siwumthelela ekungenzeni kahle kamuva kwezwe lakhe ukuhlale lishintsha abaqeqeshi.
Eminyakeni edlule, bekuyinto eyaziwayo ukuthi amaSuper Eagles ashaya kwasani oluphambi kwawo. Ayisaphathwa-ke eye-Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon), abehlala ethishwa njengelinye lamazwe okubhekwe ukuthi adle umhlanganiso.
Asebe ingxenye yalo mqhudelwano amahlandla awu-20 kusukela aqala ukuba ingxenye yawo ngo-1963.
Egcina ukuwunqoba ngo-2013, kwakungokwesithathu ephakamisa inkomishi yawo. Asehlulwe kane kowamanqamu, alala kweyesithathu kayisishiyagalombili.
Nokho emiqhudelwaneni yakamuva izinga lehlile. KobuseCameroon, ngo-2021, iNigeria iphume emaqenjini awu-16. Ngaphambi kokuthi ilibhekise kwi-Afcon eqhubeka e-Ivory Coast, ibambane neLesotho neZimbabwe kweyokuhlungela iNdebe yoMhlaba ebingoNovemba. Ibuye yashaywa ngo 2-0 yiGuinea kowobungani.
Nakwi-Afcon iqale ngebatha ibambana ngo 1-1 ne-Equatorial Guinea ku-Group A.
Amanye amazwe eboshelwe nawo kuleli qoqo, iGuinea-Bissau nosokhaya i-Ivory Coast ezobhekana nayo namuhla, ngo-7 ebusuku, e-Olympic Stadium of Ebimpe.
U-Akpeyi ongunozinti weMoroka Swallows nosevimbele amaSuper Eagles amahlandla awu-18, uthe izwe lakhe kumele liyibhekisise le eyokunganiki abaqeqeshi isikhathi esanele.
"Lokhu kushintshashintsha abaqeqeshi kusibuyisela emuva. Wonke umqeqeshi ofikayo ufuna kudlalwe ibhola ngendlela afuna ngayo. Lokhu kwenza lungabibikho uzinzo eqenjini. Kuqalwa phansi ngaso sonke isikhathi," kubeka lo nozinti owayesezintini zeqembu lakhe kwi-Afcon yango-2019, e-Egypt.
Ku-2016 uwodwa, leli lizwe laqasha abaqeqeshi ababili. Kwaqala uSamson Siasia wakhona eNigeria okungaphelanga sikhathi eqashiwe wase ekhonjwa indlela. Izintambo zathathwa umkhaya wakhe uSalisu Yusuf. Yena uqhube kwaze kwaba u-2021. Izintambo zibe sezithathwa u-Augustine Eguavoen ohlale unyaka owodwa. Ngo-2022, kufike uJose Peseiro wasePortugal okunguyena osesigqikini okwamanje.
U-Akpeyi owaqala ukuvimbela izwe lakhe ngo-2015, libhekene neBafana Bafana kowobungani, ubalule nokuthi ukuba nabadlali abaningi abayibamba kumaligi amakhulu e-Europe akulisizi ngalutho izwe labo.
"Nakuba iNigeria inabadlali abaningi abanethalente kodwa ayinaqembu. Umuntu uzidlalela yena.“
Mayelana nomdlalo we-Ivory Coast, uthe unethemba lokuthi omkhaya bakhe bazovuka bazithuntuthe nakuba kuzoba nzima njengoba bezobe bebhekene nosokhaya.
"Uma ufuna impumelelo kumele wenyuse izinga uphinde uqaphele. Kwenzeka izimanga kwi-Afcon, ofishi abancane badla abakhulu. Kuzomele iqaphele iNigeria. Kuyiko nje ukuthi ibe neshwa, ilinyalelwe inqwaba yabadlali ngaphambi kokuqala kwemidlalo. Sethemba ukuthi laba abakhona bazolibamba ngazo zombili leli thuba.“
Kowokuqala i-Ivory Coast ishaye iGuinea-Bissau ngo 2-0.