AFCON Q/Final: Super Eagles Not Seeking Revenge Against Algeria — Moses Simon

Super Eagles winger Moses Simon has said that Nigeria was not driven by revenge ahead of their quarterfinal clash against Algeria at the ongoing 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament in Morocco.

Nigeria suffered a 2–1 defeat to the Desert Foxes in the semifinals of the 2019 AFCON in Egypt, before going on to claim the bronze medal in the third-place match.

However, speaking at a pre-match press conference, the Paris FC winger played down suggestions of revenge, stressing that the Super Eagles are focused on mentality, consistency and winning games.

“We don’t have anything about revenge in our mindset. We just want to play,” Simon said.

“We are a team that works every day to progress and to win because of our mentality.”

The 30-year-old Nigerian international also dismissed the idea that North African teams pose a particular threat to the Super Eagles at the tournament.

“I cannot say North African teams are the ones giving us trouble, because we also give them trouble. We just kicked them out,” he said.

Simon pointed to Nigeria’s 3–2 victory over Tunisia in the group stage as proof of the team’s competitiveness.

“We beat the Tunisian team in our last game. Of course, Tunisia is one of the best teams in Africa,” Simon added. “This is not the time to talk about teams. Every team in this competition is really good.”

He noted that African football has evolved significantly, making every match highly competitive.

“You can see that every African team has progressed a lot. There are no small teams and no big teams anymore,” he said.

Simon, who was part of the Super Eagles squad that lost to Algeria in 2019, will be hoping to help Nigeria secure a win and book a place in the semifinals.