Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Amaju Pinnick says the Super Eagles are moving in the right direction despite suffering losses to Mexico and Ecuador.
Super Eagles fail to end poor run
The Super Eagles failed to pick up a win in their first two matches since losing the World Cup ticket to their West African rivals Ghana.
Nigeria suffered a 2-1 loss to Mexico at the AT&T Stadium on Sunday morning before losing 1-0 to Ecuador at the Red Bull Arena on Friday morning.
It was not the result Nigeria wanted, especially after the disappointment of missing out on the World Cup. It was also not the ideal start for Jose Peseiro, who replaced Austin Eguavoen as the Super Eagles boss.
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However, Pinnick insists there are positives to take from the two matches, saying the Peseiro era has started on a promising note.
"I am happy, and I can tell you that we fulfilled our objectives of restoring the spirit of the Super Eagles following the failure to qualify for the FIFA World Cup," Pinnick said after the match.
Pinnick says the Super Eagles have moved on from World Cup disappointment
The NFF president also reserved praises for the players that played in the two friendly matches. Pinnick hinted that the Super Eagles would have won if all their regulars had shown up.
"We lost both games against Mexico and Ecuador narrowly, but we were up for it and never finished on the back foot.
"Given the number of first-team players that were not available, we have to praise the boys who showed up here and gave their all.
Pinnick also revealed that the team has moved on from their World Cup failure are now looking forward to their Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Sierra Leone.
"They have given us confidence going into the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. The despondency is over, and we can now march forward in a sure-footed manner," he added.