Judilson Mamadu Gomes ‘Pele’ says Guinea Bissau thought they would get at least a draw against Egypt, but insists the Djurtus will do everything against Nigeria to qualify for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations Round of 16.
The AS Monaco midfielder saw his team lose to the Pharaohs, leaving the Djurtus with a serious mountain to climb
After playing out a lacklustre 0-0 draw with Sudan in their first match, Baciro Cande’s men squared up against the Pharaohs with the ambition of securing a positive result.
Disappointingly for them, the West Africans suffered a 1-0 loss to Carlos Queiroz’s men notwithstanding their brave display.
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Mohamed Salah scored the only goal in the 69th minute having been teed up by Amr Al Sulaya.
With six minutes left prior to the end of the game, Guinea Bissau thought they had restored parity but the goal was chalked off after referee Pacifique Ndabihawenimana consulted VAR.
Even at the setback, the AS Monaco midfielder, who was an unused substitute, would not entertain the sort of thinking that his team would crash out after the group phase and asserts that his side would not give up until the cause is lost.
“It is our ambition to qualify and we are not giving up on that, we must do everything to defeat Nigeria because it is very important for us,” Pele told GOAL.
“We will fight with everything we have and if we played as we did against Egypt, we will qualify. We want everyone at home proud of us.”
Pele also reminisced about the defeat to the seven-time African kings and is full of praises for his teammates for putting up a brave fight in the game they craved for at least a draw.
“I am disappointed because I think the team did everything possible to win the game,” he continued.
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“We did very well, we scored a goal, but it was disallowed by VAR, so we need to fight now against Nigeria
“I remember when I was addressing the media before our first game, I said we will fight every team and that we are not afraid of nobody and we showed that against Egypt.
“I am proud of my teammates because they gave everything to win the game [against the North Africans]. Playing a draw at least could have been a great chance for us.”