Algeria vs Nigeria: 'We were hit left and right' — Desert Foxes coach says truth about defeat to Super Eagles

Algeria’s head coach, Vladimir Petkovic, has admitted that the Super Eagles were the superior team in their semi-final loss to the Nigeria national team.

Eric Chelle’s side triumphed in the quarter-final clash against the Desert Foxes 2-0 and could have easily scored three more. They dominated both ends of the pitch, limiting their opponents to zero shots on target.

During the post-match press conference, the Bosnian and Herzegovinian tactician was asked about his team’s performance and the result of the game.

While some Algerian fans on social media have cried foul about the refereeing of Senegalese official Issa Sy, with defender Rayan Ait-Nouri echoing similar sentiments, accusing the referee of ignoring penalty calls and fouls against them, Petkovic confessed that the Super Eagles played superior football.

“Do I have to tell the truth, or should I be political [about the match]?” he said. “Nigeria deserved to win this match. They were better than us. It was difficult to get into this match… We were hit left and right.”

The eye test tells the story of Nigeria’s dominance, with French-Algerian former footballer Samir Nasri praising the Super Eagles' performance, highlighting the aspects in which they performed exceptionally.

The stats also confirm Nigeria’s superiority. Chelle’s side created five big chances to Algeria’s zero, while limiting the 2019 champions to no shots on target. They dominated possession and occupied superior areas of the pitch for most of the game.