It's time to take the trophy home - Chukwueze eyes AFCON glory against Cote d'Ivoire

Super Eagles winger Samuel Chukwueze has stressed that Nigeria is not getting carried away after reaching the AFCON 2023 final. 

Pulse Sports Nigeria reports that the Eagles defeated South Africa on penalties to reach the final and Chukwueze is aware of the huge challenge awaiting against hosts Ivory Coast.

Ahead of the keenly anticipated clash against Cote d’Ivoire in the AFCON 2023 final, Chukwueze spoke to the media at the team’s training ground. 

In a video on social media, the 24-year-old stated that the team is done celebrating and is now firmly focused on recovery and preparation for the tournament decider on Saturday rather than premature celebrations.

"We are not in a celebration mood at the moment,” the AC Milan star said, with determination etched on his face. 

“We are trying to recover from the game (vs South Africa in the semis) and focus on the game on Sunday against the host country (Cote d’Ivoire) in the final."

While acknowledging it won't be easy against the Elephants, the Eagle insisted he believes in the squad to get the job done and claim Nigeria's first AFCON title since 2013.

"It’s not going to be easy, nobody [has] told us it’s going to be easy but I believe in this team and we have been fighting from the start,” he added. “This is the time to take the trophy back home.”

With the final now in sight, Nigerians will keep their fingers crossed to see if Chukwueze and his Super Eagles teammates will keep to their promise by bringing the coveted trophy back to Nigeria for only the fourth time in Nigeria’s history.