Nigeria Earns the Spotlight: Petkovic Reflects on Algeria’s AFCON Exit

Nigeria Deserved the Win

Vladimir Petkovic, the Algeria head coach, refused to blame refereeing for the Desert Foxes' elimination in the Africa Cup of Nations quarterfinals (Morocco 2025) after a 2-0 loss to Nigeria in yesterday's match.

He acknowledged some impactful officiating decisions in the first half, but said they should not be used as an excuse for the defeat. 'I don't want to comment on the referee's level, because it won't help us... but you saw what happened in the first half, you'll understand.'

He also noted that the numerous yellow cards issued by Senegalese referee Issa Si in the first half affected his players' rhythm, saying, 'We didn't start well, we faced many challenges, and we weren't at the level required to qualify.'

While reserving judgment on the officiating, Petkovic conceded that Nigeria deserved to advance, saying, 'Nigeria were the better side and earned a place in the semifinals. They overwhelmed us in the first half; our lines were spread, we lost focus and cohesion, and they imposed their game.'

He added that his side's performance improved somewhat in the second half, but not enough to catch the tempo, and the players left disappointed by elimination, a hard lesson for the future. Punchlines: If strategy were as sharp as the referee's whistle, we'd be champions today. And if you think this is hard to follow, imagine the ball — it seems to have its own opinions too.

With the win over Algeria, Nigeria advanced to the semifinals to face Morocco on home soil, next Wednesday.