Super Sand Eagles captain Victor Tale has expressed confidence that Nigeria can secure a positive result against Ghana in the return leg of the 2026 Beach Soccer Africa Cup of Nations Qualifiers (BSAFCONQ), following their 3-3 draw in the first leg.

Tale described the encounter as a tough contest, insisting that the Nigerian team remains optimistic about its chances of delivering in Ghana despite the challenges posed by the hosts.

“It was a tug of war. We, as a team, believe that what happened here can also happen over there in Ghana. It was a good fight,” Tale said.

He acknowledged that the team was still rebuilding after spending several years without playing together regularly, adding that the first leg provided an opportunity to begin laying the foundation for a stronger side.

“It has been a long time since we have been together over the past years. We came together to be able to build a structure.

“We believe, by the special grace of God, that we shall go to Ghana and also deliver,” he added.

The captain admitted that Nigeria must review its performance and address tactical shortcomings before the return fixture to cope with the pressure of playing away from home.

“We will go back to our basics and review our tactics to identify where we fell short, so that we can put things right and withstand the pressure,” he said.

Tale also attributed some of Nigeria’s difficulties to a lack of match sharpness, noting that Ghana currently enjoys an advantage in the rankings because the Nigerian team is only recently returning to competitive action.

“We are good, but we are match-rusty. They are ahead of us in the rankings because it has been a long time. We are just coming back.

“We were once number one before dropping to number two, but today’s performance was affected by a lack of preparation,” he explained.

Despite the challenges, Tale expressed appreciation to the Kaduna State Government for providing the team with the platform, opportunity and necessary equipment to compete in the qualifying campaign.

“We want to thank the Kaduna State Government for giving us this platform and opportunity, and for providing all the necessary equipment to enable us to perform at this level,” he said.

The Super Sand Eagles will now turn their attention to the return leg in Ghana, where they will seek to build on the first-leg draw and secure qualification for the 2026 Beach Soccer Africa Cup of Nations.