“They took it all the way to penalties” — Super Eagles defender warns teammates not to underestimate Mozambique

Super Eagles defender Calvin Bassey has urged Nigeria to tread carefully ahead of their AFCON 2025 Round of 16 clash against Mozambique, warning that reputation alone will not guarantee progress.

Despite Nigeria’s perfect group-stage record, the Fulham centre-back insists the knockout phase demands full focus and respect for every opponent.

Nigeria face the Mambas of Mozambique on Monday at the Complexe de Fes, with a place in the quarter-finals at stake. While the Super Eagles cruised through the group stage with three wins from three, Mozambique advanced as one of the best third-placed teams after recording just one victory.

On paper, Eric Chelle’s side are clear favourites, but Bassey believes AFCON history offers enough evidence to ignore complacency.

Citing Mali’s dramatic victory over Tunisia, the 26-year-old stressed how quickly games can turn in African football. “Never underestimate any team,” Bassey told NFF Media. “Look at yesterday's game, Tunisia had 11 men, Mali had ten men, and they won. They took it all the way to penalties.”

According to Bassey, Nigeria’s star-studded squad must block out external expectations and concentrate on executing their game plan, rather than assuming quality alone will carry them through.

Beyond mindset, Bassey also highlighted areas Nigeria must improve, particularly at the back. Despite winning all three group matches, the Super Eagles failed to keep a clean sheet, something the former Rangers defender believes can be corrected with greater attention to detail.

“Of course, you always want to keep a clean sheet,” Bassey said, revealing ongoing conversations with fellow centre-back Semi Ajayi about defensive organisation. He admitted that several of the goals conceded were avoidable and stressed the need for a collective response.

“The attack starts from us behind, and the defence starts from the boys in front,” he explained, praising the team’s attacking efforts while insisting there is room for improvement.

Nigeria kick off against Mozambique at 8:00 PM WAT on Monday, knowing that discipline, focus, and respect for their opponents will be just as important as star quality in their quest for AFCON glory.