NaijaOnPoint Nigeria reports that Super Eagles midfielder Alex Iwobi has explained why his teammate Ola Aina found it tough facing Ivory Coast’s Simon Adingra in the Africa Cup of Nations final.
On February 11, 2024, Aina, who had been one of Nigeria’s most reliable performers throughout the tournament, endured a difficult outing against the winger.
The Nottingham Forest defender was unable to contain Adingra, who set up both goals as Ivory Coast came from behind to defeat Nigeria 2-1 in the final.
However, Iwobi has now revealed that Aina’s struggles in the AFCON final were due to an injury.
“For those who don’t know, I’m sure Ola has already mentioned it in different podcasts and interviews,” Iwobi said on Episode 2 of The Bassey and Iwobi Show.
“He played with a grade 2c hamstring injury — I don’t know how he managed it.”
Meanwhile, Nigeria has already booked their place at the 2025 AFCON in Morocco, where they will be aiming to go all the way this time.