'We didn't play the way we know that we can' - Super Eagles head coach bemoans Ecuador loss

Despite a better performance in the second half, the scoreline remained unchanged and Peseiro and his crew must now go back to the drawing board to determine the best way forward.

The Portuguese tactician was candid in assessing his players, calling out their poor performance early in the first half.

"In the first 15 minutes, we didn't play the way we know that we can. We have players that can move the ball and control the game, but they could not in the first 20 minutes. After the first 15 minutes, we played much better in my opinion and the second half was much better," Peseiro said.

While he did not absolve his players of any blame, Peseiro reluctantly called out the officials on the day for denying the Super Eagles an opportunity to level the game from the penalty spot.

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"I don't want to speak about the referee, but we should have gotten a penalty. There was no VAR, but in the stadium, they showed the replay, and it was a clear penalty, the goalkeeper touched the foot of our player.

"It's okay anybody can make mistakes, so the players and the referee can also make mistakes," Peseiro said.

With Friday's loss, Peseiro has now lost his first two games in charge of the Super Eagles and would hope this can change with the African Cup of Nations qualifiers up next.

Reflecting on the loss to Ecuador and the previous game against Mexico, Peseiro, while unhappy, chooses to remain optimistic.

" I think we played much better than against Mexico. But today, I think we pressured more, and created more opportunities, against Mexico we created a lot of opportunities, but today, we create even more." Peseiro said.

With a few Nigerians already questioning Peseiro's appointment, the Portuguese manager was quick to point out the limited time the players have had to adapt to his playing style.

"Before the game against Mexico, we trained just two times, and some players even trained only once, and some players joined after that game. I think by the time the players have trained up to four times together, they will improve." Peseiro confidently said.

Jose Peseiro and his Super Eagles must lick their wounds and prepare for their Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Sierra Leone on June 9.