Besiktas of Turkey midfielder, Wilfred Onyinyen Ndidi has recalled the memory of what he described as a ‘painful loss’ by the Super Eagles against Tunisia at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, Sports247 reports.
The date was January 23, 2022 and the venue Roumde Adja Stadium in Garoua, Cameroon, where a 47th minute shot from distance by Msakni made all the difference for Tunisia.
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Of Nigeria’s two ‘villains’ from that defeat, Udinese of Italy goalkeeper, Maduka Okoye, who could not stop the long range shot from going into his net, is not in the current squad, but present is Fulham of England midfielder, Alex Iwobi, who played as a substitute but got a 66th minute red card.
Also there on that sad date in history and still present in the Super Eagles’ squad at AFCON 2025 were Zaidu Sanusi, Moses Simon, Samuel Chukwueze, Chidozie Awaziem, Francis Uzoho, Semi Ajayi and Frank Onyeka.
However, Ndidi, who played all 90 minutes of that ill-fated round of 16 encounter, insists that the setback will not be repeated in Saturday’s clash with the same North African country at the ongoing 2025 AFCON in Morocco.
Ndidi stressed that the ‘painful loss’ will not occur a second time because it’s a new squad that is currently representing Nigeria, under a different coach at AFCON 2025.
The former Nath Boys of Lagos, RKC Genk of Belgium and Leicester City of England centre-back-turned-holding-midfielder added that memory of the sad day also makes each of the Eagles’ players determined to avoid a repeat.
Ndidi recalled, “It was a painful loss. But it gives us more confidence. When we talked about it, the guys were really prepared. We don’t want to think about what happened. We just want to face this one.
“It is definitely a new team, with good players and a good group. It’s about growth, a new generation, and we are actually here to set our own standards. We are here to achieve our goals.”
