Nigeria men’s volleyball coach Ryan Masajedi says his players must learn from their tough quarter-final loss to Morocco at the 2026 African Men’s Nations Volleyball Championship in Tunisia. This was reported by PUNCH Sports Extra.
On Sunday, Nigeria lost 3-2 to Morocco after fighting back from 2-1 down to push the match to a fifth set in a thrilling quarter-final game.
“To be honest, we already understand what our weaknesses and strengths are. We just need to take the lessons from this game and use them in the future. I think the boys learned a good lesson today,” Masajedi said.
The coach praised his players for their spirit and the roles of the substitutes despite missing out on the semi-finals.
“First of all, we did our best, and I’m proud of the boys. In the first set, it looked like we were finished, but we managed to fight our way back into the game, and the bench players also made a big contribution,” he added.
Nigeria started the match well, taking the first set 25-20, but Morocco bounced back to win the second set 25-15. They also won the third set 25-21.
The Nigerian team did not give up, coming back to win the fourth set 26-24 and pushing the match to a deciding set.
In the fifth set, Morocco kept their composure to win 15-12 and secured their place in the semi-finals.
Masajedi told his players to recover quickly and focus on their next matches in the tournament.
“Now, we need to switch our focus, get some good rest and prepare for the next game,” he concluded.
Next, Nigeria will play a classification match against Rwanda on Wednesday as they aim to end their campaign on a positive note.
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