Nigeria’s Super Eagles playing a historic hundredth match at the Africa Cup of Nations battled to a 1 nil win over the Wild Dogs of Guinea-Bissau. The win sealed qualification into the knockout stages for the three-time champions having finished second behind group winners, Equatorial Guinea. Beyond qualification for the knockout stages, the win saw Nigeria improve its record at the continental showpiece to 55 wins, 23 draws, 22 losses, 140 goals scored and 91 goals conceded from 100 matches played across 21 editions.
The hard fought victory over the Wild Dogs means the Super Eagles have won both Africa Cup of Nations enounters while holding a 3-1 lead in an emerging rivalry. While the Djurtus could not replicate their famous one nil win in Abuja during the qualifying series for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations tournament, they put up a gallant display despite not having anything to play for. The slim loss to Nigeria means Guinea-Bissau’s wait for a historic maiden victory at the Africa Cup of Nations continues.
For the Super Eagles of Nigeria, the uninspiring victory over the already ousted Wild Dogs of Guinea-Bissau raises more questions than answers, just as previous questions are left unanswered. The team’s offensive struggles is vivid following a paltry return of three goals in three games; a goal has been scored from open-play, one from the penalty spot and an own goal is quite concerning considering the team’s array of offensive arsenals. Off the bat, the chunk of the blame regarding the team’s profligacy is of its most potent attacker, Victor Osimhen, who has uncharacteristically spurned several good goalscoring chances across all three games. The African Footballer of the Year was the continent’s top scorer with 10 goals during the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers but has struggled in front of goal considering his lofty standards.
There is a sense of urgency and huge responsibility on coach Jose Peseiro’s shoulders in seeking solutions to the team’s creative outlets and profligacy in front of goal as the competition gets tougher from here on… For the Super Eagles of Nigeria to achieve its #LetsDoItAgain title dreams, the performances of certain individuals and the team as a whole needs to improve especially that of striker, Victor Osimhen.
Meanwhile, Cote D’Ivoire suffered a stunning 4 nil loss to Equatorial Guinea as the host nation are on the verge of crashing out at the first round. Tournament-leading goalscorer and captain for the Equatoguineans, Emiliano Nsue notched up a brace to increase his goal tally to five in three matches as the Ivorians failed to muster a way back into the game. The bloated scoreline dents a huge blow on the hopes of the hosts to qualify as one of the third-best-placed teams.
Just as Cape Verde sealed qualification for the knockout stages by topping a group with former champions, Ghana and Egypt, Equatorial Guinea have also topped a group with former champions, Nigeria and Cote D’Ivoire with an impressive style of play and lots of goals. While minnows will always be in football and sports in general, the likes of Cape Verde and Equatorial Guinea are vivid examples that the gap between top teams and mid-teams may be reducing drastically as African football evolves further.
