The mistake of AFCON 2021 still haunts me —Okoye

Super Eagles goalkeeper Maduka Okoye has publicly expressed regret over his inaction that led to the national team’s elimination from the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

Okoye, whose mistake led to the Eagles’ first loss in the competition, said he suffered sleepless nights after the error.

Having won all three of their group matches, Nigeria looked very promising and were the favourites to win the tournament.

But the surprise came in the round of 16 when Tunisian Youssef Msakni fired a shot from outside the penalty area and Okoye could not prevent it from entering the net.

The exit was painful for the Nigerians, especially since Tunisia had struggled to advance from the group stage, finishing as one of the best third-placed teams.

In an interview with OmaSports TV, the Udinese goalkeeper said the pain still lingers in his mind.

In his words, “At the time, I told myself that I should have done better. It hurts me to this day, to be honest.

Also read: The Golden Eagles miss the AFCON U-17 World Cup

“You could see it was a mistake because I had to keep the ball out of the goal. If I want to play for Inter Milan, I have to do better in those situations.

“I’ve been training hard, improving over the last two years because I don’t want things like that to happen again.

“Mistakes happen, last week Manuel Neuer, who is one of the best, made a mistake. It’s part of the game and, as a kid, it was hard for me to go through it after it happened.

“I’m not just talking about what I read on social media, but rather the feeling of letting down your teammates, your family and your country.

“At this point, I don’t even read the nonsense that is said on social media anymore. There are people who still speak badly about Cristiano Ronaldo despite his achievements.

“People will always say bad things about you. I know myself that I didn’t do well in that situation and I know that I let my teammates and my country down in that situation.

“And to this day I’m still unhappy and sad about it, and I wish I could do otherwise, but it happened and I learned from my mistake.”

Fountain