Benin international Olivier Verdon insists his outfit will strive to overcome Egypt on Sunday in the last 16 of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, being held in Morocco.
The Squirrels will lock horns with the Pharaohs, who are seeking for their eighth Africa Cup of Nations title in the North African country.
Verdon, who plies his trade for Ludogorets in Bulgaria stressed his outfit will fight to overcome Egypt, as they aim to surpass their achievement at the continental showpiece in 2109.
“This is a knockout match against a strong team, and the motivation is high. We want to put on a good performance. We achieved our first goal of qualifying from the group, and now we want to qualify for the next round. It is true that it is a difficult match, but we are looking forward to it.”
“We achieved our first victory in the tournament’s history and we are proud, but this is not the ultimate goal. I think this came as a result of the name change, but we must have a different mentality, and this has happened since we arrived in Morocco. Arriving early gave us an advantage to get used to each other, and if our name will scare the competitors, we are happy about that.”
“I don’t know why the tournament will be held every 4 years and I am not aware of the details. If the tournament were to be held in the winter and the temperature was around 20 degrees, it would be great, but the weather is difficult and the rain is constantly falling, and this makes it difficult for the public to attend.”
“We are thinking about the 2019 tournament and we want to achieve a better result than it, and we are on the right track. Since the beginning of the tournament, we have shown a good performance. Perhaps we are not the best group of players, but we are united, harmonious, have a fighting spirit, and play collectively. We have previously won against big teams, and we are striving to qualify.”
Egypt qualified for the round of 16 as the leader of its group, while Benin qualified as one of the best third-placed.
