The Super Eagles of Nigeria have been tipped to win the African Cup of Nations tournament currently holding in Cameroon.
Asamoah Gyan, former Black Stars of Ghana striker, predicted Eagles’ triumph while appearing as a guest and expert analyst on SuperSport’s AFCON 2021 talk show.
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Winner of two Silver medals and one bronze medal during a decade of AFCON participation, Gyan praised Coach Austin Eguavoen’s men, adding that the team is presently the standout team and are potential champions in Cameroon.
“Yes, as of today Nigeria stands out as the team with the will to conquer all oppositions going by what happened in the match against Egypt,” Gyan stated when quizzed by the host.
“Every other potential winner of the tournament seems to be playing with too much caution and this explains why most of the matches have not been impressive. But when you look at Nigeria, they showed the character of a potential champion considering the way they dominated Egypt all through the 90 minutes.”
The 36-year-old praised the country’s performance in the 1-0 win over Egypt despite the absence of its first choice attackers coming into the tournament.
“Nigeria deserved to score more goals in the match but they were unlucky in the final cut. This was a team that had its pre-tournament challenge as they were unable to have some of their best forwards for the tournament and playing a strong team like Egypt in the opening match was an acid test and they excelled.”
Gyan, who led Ghana to the final of the 2010 tournament in Angola were they lost to Egypt, added he hopes the Eagles continue to produce excellent performances as they advance in the competition.
“But when you look at how Nigeria imposed themselves on Egypt, other teams are yet to show character and one only hoped they maintained the same tempo as the tournament progresses.”
The Super Eagles of Nigeria face Sudan in their second group game on Saturday January 15 in Garoua.
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