Tag: Super Eagles

The Super Eagles limped to a 1-0 win over pointless and hapless Wild Dogs of Guinea Bissau in an underwhelming game in Abidjan yesterday, in the process finishing in second place in group A behind a vicious Thunder of Equatorial Guinea that demolished host nation Cote d’Ivoire 4-0 to top the group.

The talking point on a rather vapid night in the Ivorian capital was the humiliation of the host nation, who are as good as having been thrown out of the competition without any mercy by a rampaging Equatorial Guinea side. Emilio Nsue Lopez, who bagged the competition’s first hat-trick in 16 years in his country’s 4-2 demolition of Guinea Bissau on Thursday, netted a brace against the Elephants to race upwards as this tournament’s leading scorer with five goals.

There was little to report from the Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny, with Nigeria failing to light up the arena and the Wild Dogs making wild moves that ended in no success and failing to carve open a Nigerian defence-line that looked suspect without William Ekong.

Victor Osimhen saw his drive from the right roll harmlessly away from goal before Opa Sangante, under pressure from Osimhen, put the ball into his own net behind goalkeeper and captain Jonas Asvedo Mendes for the match’s only goal in the 37th minute.

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Two minutes into the second half, Moses Simon wasted a great opportunity after he was put through by Osimhen, and in the 56th minute, Osimhen’s header from a pull-out by Ola Aina went slightly away. Aina himself wasted a golden opportunity in the 69th minute and at the other end, goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali had to be alert to punch away a free-kick by substitute Fali Cande.

The victory lifted Nigeria to seven points, but Thunder’s ferocious display at the Stade Olympique Alassane Ouattara against the host nation kept them at the top on goals difference from Nigeria.

The Elephants’ virtual elimination is a repeat of their performance when Cote d’Ivoire hosted the competition in 1984. They defeated Togo 3-0 in their first match only to lose 1-2 to Egypt and 0-2 to eventual winners Cameroon to crash out at group stage.

The Super Eagles will play the second-placed team in group C in their Round of 16 encounter at the Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny on Saturday.

Guinea Bissau winger Carlos Mane has said that they will fight to get a good result and finish the tournament on a high when they face Nigeria in today’s Africa Cup of Nations last group A game at the Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny, Abidjan.

The Wild Dogs have no chance to progress into the next stage of the competition having lost their last two games.

But the Kayserispor of Turkish right winger said at the press conference on Sunday that he and his teammates will play for pride.

Read Also: AFCON 2023: Super Eagles resume training after Cote d’Ivoire win

 “It’s going to be difficult to beat Nigeria, but we will play for our country and our family. We will surely make things difficult for them,” Mane said.

“We have zero point in the competition but we have to fight to get a good result. We will go into the game with a strong mentality, we will try to win and finish the tournament with point (s). We know Nigeria very well. They have a good coach. He was my coach at Sporting Lisbon four years ago.”

Super Eagles of Nigeria will this evening resume training session ahead of their Africa Cup of Nations last group A game against Guinea Bissau on Monday, January 22, after their impressive victory over Cote d’Ivoire on Thursday.

According the team’s training schedule made available to journalists by the club’s Media Officer, Babafemi Raji, the training session will commence by 4:30 at the Ecole Nationale de la Police in Abidjan.

Raji said the first 15 minutes of the training session would be opened to the journalists. 

However, he stated that there won’t be chance for journalists to conduct interviews with the players.

Read Also: Solid Super Eagles seal historic win  over AFCON hosts  

Super Eagles bounced back to winning way with a 1-0 victory over Cote d’Ivoire in the second group A match on Thursday at the Stade Alassane Ouattara in Abidjan, after an unimpressive 1-1 draw against Equatorial Guinea in the opening game last Sunday.

The Ivorian fans were silenced when William Troost-Ekong converted a 54th-minute penalty after Victor Osimhen was fouled.

The 1-0 triumph lifts Nigeria level on four points with surprise package Equatorial Guinea at the Group A summit.

Cote d’Ivoire remain third on three points and likely need to beat Equatorial Guinea to reach the knockouts.

Nigeria handed Africa Cup of Nations hosts Cote d’Ivoire  a 1-0 defeat in their Group A clash at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium last night  with a second-half penalty settling the encounter.

Captain William Troost-Ekong struck home the 55^th  minute spot kick after a VAR review showed that young Ivorian defender Ousmane Diomande had impeded Victor Osimhen.

The result means Nigeria move above the Ivorians in the standings on four points along with Equatorial Guinea, who beat Guinea Bissau 4-2 earlier. The hosts have three.

The clash of the west African heavyweights was a largely languid affair, dominated by physical battles and with few clear-cut chances created.

But Diomande, 20, was found to have caught Osimhen on the knee as the two tussled for the ball in the penalty area and Troost-Ekong blasted the ball straight down the middle to settle the clash.

Read Also: Super Eagles must be clinical in front of goal against Cote d’Ivoire, Osimhen warns

Nigeria offered their hosts few chances in a strong defensive performance, playing five across the back and keeping the tricky home attack at bay. They also looked more dangerous up front with Osimhen squandering a good opportunity for an early lead.

Christian Kouame came closest for the hosts in the first half but had his effort blocked by Nigeria goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali.

The Ivorians ran out of energy early and despite nine minutes of stoppage time, never looked likely to break down the Super Eagles, who won in Cote d’Ivoire  for the first time in 10 attempts.

Hosts Cote d’Ivoire  are still well placed to advance as they already have three points from a 2-0 win in their opener last Saturday against Guinea Bissau.

They meet Equatorial Guinea in their final group game on Monday while Nigeria will play Guinea Bissau at the same time.

Both matches are in Abidjan although at stadiums at the opposite ends of the city.

The Honourable Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Owan Enoh, has issued a rallying call to the Super Eagles of Nigeria as they prepare for a crucial clash against Cote d’Ivoire in their second group game at the African Cup of Nations.

The Minister urged the team to make amends for Sunday’s 1-1 draw  with Equatorial Guinea by securing a victory against their host.

“Thursday’s game gives us an opportunity to make a statement, by going ahead to feast on the Elephants in their backyard. I am urging the Super Eagles to remain resolute, as we will be playing against 11 players on the pitch, the home fans, and even the weather,” Enoh said. “We must be mentally superior for the entire duration of the game, as we need to secure a victory to boost our chances of advancing to the next round.”

 “The Government and people of Nigeria are behind our  beloved Super Eagles and have always been a of pride for our nation. I call upon each player to give their best on the field and make a lasting impression. Winning the second game against Ivory Coast is not just a victory for the team but a statement of our football prowess on the continent.”

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Senator Enoh referenced the 2013 victory en route to Nigeria’s march to winning the AFCON in South Africa. He said Nigeria defeated the Ivorians when no one gave them a chance against a star-studded Ivorian team.

“We held our own down that night in South Africa, playing against the golden generation of ivorian football to claim a sweet 2-1 victory in the quarterfinal. If we did it ten years ago, then let’s do it again!”

The Minister also extended his best wishes to the coaching staff, support personnel, and the entire Nigerian football community. He encouraged fans to rally behind the Super Eagles and create an atmosphere of unwavering support.

As the excitement of the 2023 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) reaches fever pitch for Nigerians following the Super Eagles draw against the Nzalang Nacional of Equatorial Guinea, the official beer partners of the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF), Life Lager Beer are backing the boys to make Nigerians proud and bring home the glory.

Everyone knows that football matches are best enjoyed with some company. For this reason, Life Lager will be rolling out match-viewing centres across the countries so fans of the game can enjoy football the Naija way; with great company and with ice-cold refreshment at hand.

 As the professionals play on the field and get rewarded with match day bonuses and awards, so also will Life reward fans at the viewing centre with a “Fan of The Match award”.

Read Also: Cote d’Ivoire vs Nigeria: Peseiro gives shocking update on Yusuf

 This will definitely add more thrill to the games and bring the fans closer to the Eagles on the field of play.

Meanwhile,  Life Lager is an authentic Nigerian brand with strong Igbo roots and to this end, the brand will be exporting the Nigerian Igbo culture to Cote D’Ivoire in a unique way.

Leading this charge is Africa’s biggest sport blogger Dr. Kelechi Anyikude (@kelechiafc), who will connect with the Igbo community in Abidjan, engage with Naija fans in the stadium and deliver amazing content along the way. This is a culture exchange you absolutely do not want to miss.

 Another element Life Lager has undertaken to show support for Nigerian football is the launch of an exciting commercial to spur the Super Eagles to victory and cheer the fans on.

The commercial which features football legend Jay Jay Okocha, music artistes, Flavour and Phyno is making rounds on social media encouraging fans to cheer the team on.

Since becoming the official beer partner of the NFF, the Life brand has provided exciting ways for fans to connect with the Super Eagles through the AFCON and World Cup qualifiers with merchandise giveaways and other engaging activities.