A second-half penalty from defender, William Troost-Ekong was the sole difference as Nigeria beat the host nation, Ivory Coast at the Olympic Stadium of Ebimpé, Abidjan.
The victory is a much-needed boost for the Nigerian side, having had a four-game winless streak prior to the match while also failing to record a competitive match win since September 2023.
More importantly, the win repositions the team firmly on its title quest dubbed #LetsDoItAgain.
While there has been a lot to criticise about coach Jose Peseiro’s tactics in previous matches, one has to give him credit for shirking away from what would surely be a losing midfield battle in favour of a 5-4-1 low block masked as a 3-4-3 tactical positioning.
The duo of Ademola Lookman and Samuel Chukwueze were effective on both sides of the wings for the Eagles as they curbed the threats of Serge Aurier and Ghislain Konan, the Ivorian full-backs.
The spine of the team – goalkeeper to centre backs to holding midfielders – which had been a major concern in recent times held firm as the Eagles outmuscled the Ivorians in the midfield.
Perhaps more reassuring for the Super Eagles is Stanley Nwabali, who seems like a formidable goalkeeper after years of various sub-par performances by Maduka Okoye and Francis Uzoho.
It is pertinent to see beyond the smokescreen of the positives from the win over Ivory Coast.
Perhaps the most troubling concern for the team is the profligacy of its main attacking threat, Victor Osimhen. The African Footballer of the Year has uncharacteristically spurned several good goalscoring chances over two games. The Napoli striker’s struggles have limited the team to a meagre two goals in two games despite scoring one of the goals.
The lack of creative outlets down the middle is a cause of concern for the Super Eagles. While Lookman and Chukwueze looked to create chances for Osimhen down the flanks, there was a lack of supply from the spine as Iwobi initially played too deep against the Ivorians.
Although the conventional ‘No 10’ position is often ignored in today’s game, Pesiero will need to get a creative outlet from Iwobi or Aribo down the middle if the wingers are restricted in creating chances.
Conclusively , the Super Eagles of Nigeria can build on the win over the Elephants of Cote D’Ivoire to challenge favourably for the title.
