In the wake of Nigeria’s disappointing 91-75 slump to Senegal during the quarter-finals of the ongoing African Men’s Senior Basketball Championship (AfroBasket 2025) in Luanda, Angola, D’Tigers’ coach, Mohammed Abdulrahman has confessed that his squad was outclassed in almost all departments of Wednesday’s game.
Sports247 reports that D’Tigers fell apart at a point when everyone thought they would consolidate on their stunning three-match winning streak in the group stage – as they rode majestically over Madagascar, Tunisia and Cameroon.
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However, against all expectations among fans at Pavilhao Multiusos de Luanda, the Nigerians failed to hold their own against the five-time winners, and Abdulrahman has now admitted that his side played second fiddle to the five-time chanps on the night in Angola.
The smooth-talking tactician recounted, “They outclassed us in almost every department of the game. I think they deserved to win. We didn’t just play well enough to win.
“We didn’t play our style, and a lot of things went wrong; but I’m not going to take credit away from Senegal. I think they really deserved to win, because they played better.”
The basketball tactician then took a closer look at technicalities that turned the game in Senegal’s favour, as they won the last three quarters, after Nigeria initially stole a slim 25-24 lead at the end of the first buzzer.
Abdulrahman theorised, “In a game of basketball, the team that makes better adjustments in the course of the contest is the one that obviously will win.
“They made better adjustments and, whatever it was that was going to happen after that time matters a lot. They made better adjustments, and they won.”
However, Abdulrahman concluded with some words of praise for his players, saying: “Don’t get me wrong. I’m not happy we lost, but I’m actually proud of how we played. For a long time now, we’ve known our identity as a team.”
Sports247 gathered that Wednesday’s defeat not only means D’Tigers can no longer think of winning a second AfroBasket title this year for Nigeria, they also will not be there at next year’s FIBA World Basketball Championship.
