Burkina Faso international Jonathan Pitroipa still has vivid memories of the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations which they lost to Nigeria in South Africa.
The 32-year-old, who now plies his trade at Paris FC, was named Best Player of the tournament, which he believes the Super Eagles annexed not necessarily due to talent but ‘fighting spirit’.
“Nigeria came to the competition as the most determined team. They had fighting spirit. We saw that right from the group stage because our teams were both in Group C alongside Ethiopia and Zambia,” Pitroipa told ACLsports in an exclusive interview.
“Nobody knew what late coach Stephen Keshi told his charges, but they had huge confidence. They were always relaxed as if they already had the magic plan. And once they stepped on the pitch you see cohesion. One player replacing the other if loses his position.
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“Personally, I never thought the Eagles would get to the final but after our 1-1 draw in the group stage I told myself that any team these guys would meet in the competition would suffer.”
Both teams eventually met again, this time in the grand finale at the FNB Stadium in Johannesburg.
“Nigeria were favourites; because of their pedigree and their performance so far in the tournament. But we the Stallions were unfazed. The stalemate we recorded earlier boosted our confidence and our coach wanted us to draw inspiration from that.
“We put up a good fight but they had the final say with that lone goal scored by Sunday Mba. A guy I will never forget.
“It was a very good team and I feel it’s going to be hard to remake that squad. A team that knows what to do in advance and do it without panicking,” he said.
Nigeria have qualified for the 2019 edition while Burkina Faso are yet to.
