Nigeria U23 coach Samson Siasia has warned his wards that another lethargic display will only spell doom for his side after the team drew 2-2 with Egypt in a Group B game at the Caf Africa Under-23 Cup of Nations on Wednesday.
The Dream Team led Mali 3-0 at half time in the first group game but Mali clawed their way, back scoring two goals in the second half and were unlucky not to get the winner.
The same scenario played out on Wednesday as Egypt, down 2-0 by half-time, fought back to get a draw and dominated the second half.
Siasia attributed his team’s performance to fatigue but warned that such displays cannot happen again if his team is to progress to the semifinals
“We did not play in the second half and we cannot continue like this if we want to go to the Olympics,” he told cafonline.com.
“We have to be careful. We tend to lose concentration in the second half and I have to fix it. It was the case in the first game against Mali and the same thing happened against Egypt.
“It is no longer funny. It will be a tough battle against Algeria, and we have to be careful about the North African sides, they attack left and right."
Nigeria play Algeria in the final group game and must avoid defeat to qualify for the semifinals of the competition.