Jose Peseiro ended his working relationship with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) on Friday, March 1 after coaching the Super Eagles for 22 months.
Peseiro was appointed as Augustin Eguavoen’s successor in May 2022 and his first objective was to ensure Nigeria’s qualification for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
Upon the successful completion of the first task in September 2023, the NFF moved to extend the Portuguese coach’s contract and they gave him another objective to lead the Super Eagles to the semi-final stage of AFCON 2023.
Peseiro once again met the objective by helping Nigeria reach the final of the tournament but they lost to host country Ivory Coast 2-1.
How many games did Peseiro manage as Nigeria coach
Peseiro was in charge of 22 matches in 22 months as Nigeria’s coach, from May 2022 to February 2024.
His first game was an international friendly game against Mexico which ended in a 2-1 loss for his team on May 29, 2022 and his final match as Super Eagles coach was a 2-1 loss to Ivory Coast in the AFCON 2023 final on February 11, 2024.
Peseiro’s wins as Nigeria coach
Peseiro managed a total of 11 wins with the Super Eagles and his biggest win margin was the 10-0 thrashing of Sao Tome and Principe on June 13, 2022.
1. Nigeria 2-1 Sierra Leone (June 9, 2022)
2. Sao Tome and Principe 0-10 Nigeria (June 13, 2022)
3. Guinea-Bissau 0-1 Nigeria (March 27, 2023)
4. Sierra Leone 2-3 Nigeria (June 18, 2023)
5. Nigeria 6-0 Sao Tome and Principe (September 10, 2023)
6. Mozambique 2-3 Nigeria (October 16, 2023)
7. Ivory Coast 0-1 Nigeria (January 18, 2024)
8. Guinea-Bissau 0-1 Nigeria (January 22, 2024)
9. Nigeria 2-0 Cameroon (January 27, 2024)
10. Nigeria 1-0 Angola (February 2, 2024)
11. Nigeria 1-1 (4-2 pens) South Africa (February 7, 2024).
Peseiro’s losses as Nigeria coach
The Super Eagles managed to lose seven matches in their 22 international matches under Peseiro and they only had one loss in 2023.
1. Mexico 2-1 Nigeria (May 29, 2022)
2. Ecuador 1-0 Nigeria (June 3, 2022)
3. Algeria 2-1 Nigeria (September 27, 2022)
4. Portugal 4-0 Nigeria (November 18, 2022)
5. Nigeria 0-1 Guinea-Bissau (March 24, 2023)
6. Guinea 2-0 Nigeria (January 8, 2024)
7. Nigeria 1-2 Ivory Coast (February 11, 2024).
Peseiro’s draws as Nigeria coach
Nigeria had a run of three draws in four games between October and November 2023, and the results affected the team’s start tot he 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
1. Saudi Arabia 2-2 Nigeria (October 12, 2023)
2. Nigeria 1-1 Lesotho (November 16, 2023)
3. Zimbabwe 1-1 Nigeria (November 19, 2023)
4. Nigeria 1-1 Equatorial Guinea (January 14, 2024).
Assessment of Peseiro as Nigeria coach
Overall, Jose Peseiro had a good spell as Super Eagles handler with a 50 per cent winning ratio and his team’s performance at their only major tournament – AFCON 2023, cemented his place as one of the most successful Super Eagles managers in recent times.
Although his defensive playing style at AFCON 2023 underestimated his record, the Portuguese was unfairly criticised even when he had to take a pay cut to achieve his goals in West Africa.
