Fulham defender Calvin Bassey has expressed disappointment over the Super Eagles’ defensive lapses in their 2-2 draw against Poland, insisting the team should have secured the victory in Warsaw.
The Super Eagles were twice pegged back by the hosts in the closing stages of both halves during the friendly at the PGE Narodowy Stadium.
Nigeria had taken the lead through Terem Moffi before Kacper Potulski restored parity late in the first half to send both sides into the break level at 1-1.
Paul Onuachu put Nigeria back in front in the second half, but the advantage was again cancelled out deep into stoppage time when Przemysław Wiśniewski struck to rescue a draw for the hosts.
Bassey expressed frustration over Nigeria’s failure to protect their leads and conceding the late goals.
“We should have got the win. Two late goals in both halves. It shows there was something we could adjust,” Bassey lamented to reporters in the mixed zone post-match.
“A lot of us had different arrival times. A few of us joined camp yesterday, so it is good to get some minutes in the legs.”
Despite the result, the defender insisted there were encouraging signs in the team’s performance, stressing that the squad is still in a phase of growth and adjustment.
“I think there were positives to take out of it as any game there were things to work on. So, we are trying to build and improve game by game,” he explained.
Bassey praised the overall team display, especially given the number of changes and new players introduced into the squad.
“Overall, I think it was a good performance from the boys. A lot of changes and there are a lot of boys not here from Afcon and previously,” the Fulham defender said. “It is good to get some debuts and for the manager it is amazing to test new players.”
He further emphasized the depth in the Nigerian squad, insisting the team’s talent pool remains a major strength despite the rotation.
“But, it shows the quality we have in this Nigerian squad. In the Nigeria squad we have an abundance of talents and it is just positive,” he said.
“You tell me if it was a bad game. It's all opinion. We had a game plan and the most important thing is that everyone left the game healthy.”
Eric Chelle will be eager to build on his impressive showing as Nigeria prepare to take on Nigeria in their next international friendly against Portugal.
Adeyemi Adewale
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