Hull City head coach Sergej Jakirovic has thrown his support behind Semi Ajayi and Nigeria to go all the way at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, Soccernet.ng reports.
Having watched Nigeria inpressed at the AFCON, Jakirovic believes the Super Eagles have what it takes to lift the trophy as they prepare for a heavyweight semi-final against hosts Morocco.
Ajayi is set to start again on Wednesday night in Rabat, where Nigeria will face a partisan crowd inside the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, with a place in Sunday’s final at stake.
The Hull City defender has been a central figure in Nigeria’s run to the last four, featuring in four of their five matches and forming a strong partnership at the back with Fulham centre-back Calvin Bassey.
Nigeria arrive at the semi-final with a perfect record in the tournament, having won all five of their matches so far, and Jakirovic believes that consistency and balance make them genuine contenders.
Ajayi’s international commitments have meant he has missed a run of Championship games for Hull and is not expected back in club contention until later this month, but his manager insists his progress on the continental stage is a source of pride for everyone at the club.
“It’s a big thing for us, for him, for the club, and I hope he will win the tournament now he is in the semi-final,” Jakirovic told Hull Live. “I hope he will go until the end because he’s playing well.
“I have watched every game, and they have a very, very good, almost fantastic team for me, Nigeria, so they are very good, and I hope he will come back healthy.”
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Semi Ajayi ready for hostile Rabat test as Super Eagles chase final
While his club manager watches from afar, Ajayi himself is braced for what he expects to be an intense atmosphere against the tournament hosts, after Nigeria booked their place in the semi-finals with an impressive 2-0 win over Algeria.
The 32-year-old delivered another assured display in defence as the Super Eagles kept a clean sheet against one of the pre-tournament favourites, and he says the team will need to reach the same level again to overcome Morocco.
“Algeria is a top team. It wasn’t easy, but we brought our A game, and we’re definitely going to need to be again in the next round,” Ajayi told reporters.
He also spoke about the mindset inside the camp and the determination to go one step further than the Super Eagles squad that was beaten in the final of the 2023 AFCON.
“Both teams are driven,” he continued. “We both came with one goal, and the goal is the same. We know how painful it was to not go all the way last time, and we’re looking to make amends for that.
“But like I said, we’ve still got a semi-final to deal with and we’ll be really hungry and ready and focused to make sure we complete that mission.”
Ajayi expects the noise and pressure in Rabat to be similar to what Nigeria experienced against Algeria, where much of the crowd was against them.
“It will be hostile, but I think we have enough experience in the group to be able to deal with that. Saturday was pretty much an away game. I’d say the stadium was about 80 per cent Algeria.
“So, learning how to deal with that and navigate that will stand us in good stead for the next game. We can always improve, no performance is perfect. There’s little details that we can iron out and we’ll be looking to do that on the training before the next game.”
Wednesday’s semi-final kicks off at 9pm Nigerian time in Rabat. The winners will face either Egypt or Senegal in Sunday’s final, as Nigeria continue their bid to turn an impressive campaign into a title-winning one.