Mozambique head coach Chiquinho Conde has played down any pressure on his side ahead of their Round of 16 encounter against Nigeria at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, insisting his team has already demonstrated its competitiveness at the tournament.
Mozambique secured qualification to the Round of 16 despite the defeat to Cameroon and will face Nigeria next Monday at the Grand Complex in Fez.
Speaking on Wednesday evening after Mozambique’s 2-1 defeat to Cameroon at the Grand Stadium in Agadir, Conde expressed pride in his team’s overall performance during the group stage.
“We have proven that we have a competitive team,” the coach said during the post-match press conference.
Conde praised the commitment shown by his players against an experienced Cameroonian side and explained that some of his pre-match decisions were influenced by the need to manage his squad carefully. He noted that several players were one booking away from suspension and others were dealing with minor fatigue issues.
“We have a squad of 25 players, but a number of them were at risk of receiving a yellow card that could prevent them from playing in the next match, and some of the key players were suffering from slight fatigue. We did not want to take unnecessary risks,” he explained.
Despite the narrow loss, the Mozambican coach said he was satisfied with his team’s fighting spirit and the collective effort on display.
He stressed “the confidence placed in all the players present here. Everyone who watched the match noticed that we played with a high fighting spirit.”
Looking ahead to the knockout stage, Conde acknowledged the quality of their next opponents but remained optimistic about his team’s approach.
“Nigeria is an exceptional favorite, that’s clear, but we will play without pressure. We will approach the match with ambition, humility, and composure,” he said.
