Super Eagles midfielder Fisayo Dele-Bashiru in an exclusive interview with Footy-Africa, expressed admiration for Algerian star Riyad Mahrez following their quarterfinal showdown on Saturday.
The Algerian captain had announced before the match that this edition of the Africa Cup of Nations would be his last, and he bowed out with a 2-0 defeat to Nigeria in the quarterfinals as his side crashed out of the tournament.
The former Manchester City winger had netted the winner for his side when both sides last met at the AFCON tournament in 2019 with a stunning free-kick, but was subdued this time around as Nigeria claimed victory.
“Mahrez is a legend. I’m a man city fan and he is a legend for Manchester City, so respect to him,” Dele-Bashiru exclusively told Footy-Africa after the match.
Nigeria produced one of their most dominant performances in recent outings with an emphatic 2-0 win over Algeria in their quarterfinal clash to advance to the semifinal in Morocco.
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The Super Eagles were the better team on the day and limited the Desert Warriors to only three attempts in the entire clash.
Victor Osimhen opened the scoring two minutes after the second half with a superb header, before he turned provider 10 minutes later for Akor Adams to score an equally brilliant second goal.
Dele-Bashiru, who came on late in the game as Nigeria closed out the win, also expressed satisfaction at the team’s performance as they progressed to the next round.
“Very very good performance from the team. I think it was a convincing victory, everything we’ve worked on the training ground we put into practice today”, the Lazio midfielder continued.
“We knew Algeria would be a difficult side, they have very good players but we nullified most of their threats and we also finished our chances which gave us the victory.”
The Super Eagles have won all of their five matches so far at the 2025 African Cup of Nations tournament and their goal haul of 14 is the most of any nation.
“Everyone collectively, the coach and staff the players we’ve really been gelling over the last few weeks”, the midfielder stated when asked about the team’s remarkable form.
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“Everything we do in training and our mentality and mindset is what we’re putting into practice on the pitch and we are showing it in our performances”, he concluded.
Nigeria will now face host nation Morocco in the semifinal next Wednesday at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, hoping to reach a second consecutive final of the tournament.
