Libya head coach Omar El Maryami has pointed the finger of blame at his players for their inability to play to their strength in Friday’s 1-0 loss to Nigeria in their second Group C game of the African Nations Championship in Morocco.
Libya suffered their first defeat of the tournament to Nigeria which and dropped to third in the group behind joint-leaders Nigeria and Rwanda, who recorded 1-0 win over Equatorial Guinea on Friday.
“The players were not in shape to express themselves on the field. We tried to put pressure on the Nigerian team but the players could not give what was expected of them,” El Maryami said during his post-match press conference.
“Our goal was to win and to win you have to score goals. We were not good today (Friday). It’s football and we have to accept the loss.
“We wanted to get an early goal but the reaction from my players was slow.
On their final group game against Rwanda next Tuesday, El Maryami vowed his side will give their best to advance to the next round.
“We have to give our all against Rwanda to win and qualify for the knockout stage to honour our national colours.”