The Super Eagles of Nigeria advanced to the round of 16 of the ongoing AFCON 2023 tournament following a 1-0 win over Guinea-Bissau in their final group match at the Felix Houphouet Boigny stadium in Abidjan on Monday.
An own goal by Opa Sangante was enough for the Super Eagles to claim victory in their historic 100th AFCON match. The win was however not enough to finish top of Group A, no thanks to Equatorial Guinea humbling hosts Ivory Coast 4-0.
Nigeria initially lined up with an experimental three-man backline and started at a high tempo but Guinea-Bissau soon settled into the encounter and tested Nwabali with a tame short.
The minnows continued to dominate but soon went behind to a own goal when Sangante bundled Moses Simon’s low cross into his own goal with Victor Osimhen waiting to convert.
Osimhen rose highest to meet a deep cross but his header went wide as the Super Eagles went into the interval with their solitary goal lead.
The second period started with Nigeria on the front foot and Simon was put through on goal but the ball was beaten away from his foot as he tried to round the goalkeeper, while Guinea-Bissau’s Euciodalcio Gomes’s curler from the edge of the area was easily claimed by Nwabali.
Osimhen thought he had doubled Nigeria’s lead minutes later but his finish into an empty net was called back for offside in the buildup. Both sides had goals chalked off for offside later on as Nigeria close out the match with all three points.
The victory means the Super Eagles maintain a hundred percent record against the African Wild Dogs in their two-match AFCON history.
Nigeria finish Group A with seven points, level on points with group winners Equatorial Guinea who finished with a superior goals difference.
The Super Eagles will face the second-placed team in Group C where any one of Cameroon and Guinea lies in waiting.
In the other side of town, Ivory Coast were humiliated in front of their fans 4-0 by Equatorial Guinea who topped the group. The surprise group winners scored three times in the second half, with AFCON leading goalscorer and team captain Emilio Nsue netting a brace to make it five goals so far in the tournament.
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