- As Super Eagles beat Cameroon’s Indomitable Lions 2 – 0
- Poor Onana heads back to Man United
- Angola trounce Namibia 3 – 0
BY VICTOR OSOWOCHI – Atalanta’s forward Ademola Lookman and Napoli’s talisman, Victor Osimhen were outstanding on Saturday night as they inspired Nigeria to the last eight stage at the ongoing AFCON tournament with a 2-0 victory over Cameroon.
From the word go, Coach Jose Peseiro’s men imposed their dominance on the game and came close to breaking the deadlock in the ninth minute when Semi Ajayi found the back of the Cameroonians’ net
However, a VAR check by the referee ruled out the goal for an offside positioning against the Nigerian.
In the 36th minute, Osimhen’s heroics assisted the Eagles to finally break the deadlock as he snatched the ball from Oumar Gonzalez before setting up a pass for Ademola Lookman.
The Atalanta winger’s attempt was initially stopped by Fabrice Ondoa, albeit half-heartedly but the ball eventually trickled through his arms and went inside the goal.
The Super Eagles then doubled their lead and sealed the fate of the game in the 90th minute as Lookman completed his brace. From a short free-kick, the winger made a solo diagonal run before squaring the ball towards a team-mate who in turn, sent the ball towards Calvin Bassey. The full-back delivered a low cross for Lookman who slotted the ball home for Nigeria’s second and insurance goal.
The Most Valuable Player (MVP)
Though Osimhen did all the hard work for the first goal, it was Lookman who stole the show by netting a brace on the night.
After converting a simple finish for the opener, the former Leicester City man scored a second with a brilliant solo effort which sealed the fate of the game.
Rigobert Song, Cameroon’s Coach:
“We had the youngest team; there are players who are discovering. We allowed our opponents to put us in difficulty; it’s part of the game. As I’ve said before, we are in reconstruction. It’s by making these mistakes that we will grow. Football is like that. The AFCON is a competition that is played on all levels: technical, tactical, and especially mental. I have a youthful side that is discovering; it played, and we still have a lot to learn.”
José Peseiro, Nigeria’s Coach:
“We will now focus on our next match against Angola, which is having an excellent tournament. We must take this opponent seriously, so we will continue to sleep early and eat pasta (laughs). Jokes aside, all the teams at this stage are capable of winning the tournament.”
Next on the line for Nigeria is the quarter-final clash with Angola on Friday, February 2, 2024.
The Angolans were on fire in the day’s first round of 16 encounters as they displayed great football artistry in sending the Brave Warriors of Namibia home from the tournament with a 3-0 spanking.
