Super Eagles of Nigeria pulled off an upset as they secured a 1-0 victory over host and tournament favourite, Ivory Coast in a keenly contested affair inside a fully packed Stade Olympique Alassane Ouattara stadium in Abidjan.
The Super Eagles, who came into the match as the underdogs after their below par performance against Equitorial Guinea faced an Ivorian side that swept aside Guinea Bissau with a 2-0 result in their opening match.
The match saw few chances created by both teams as both teams played cautiously to avoid slipping up and handling the opponent opportunities to hurt them.
While the Ivorians dominated possession and had three shots on goal which were saved by Nigeria goalkeeper, Stanley Nwabali, the Super Eagles had only one shot on goal which they converted into a 1-0 victory.
Nigeria and Napoli forward, Victor Osimhen was put through on goal very early in the match but he failed to keep his shot on target as his effort sailed wide of the goal much to the disappointment of the player, team and their supporters.
The Super Eagles were offered a golden opportunity in the second half when an Ivorian defender kicked Victor Osimhen’s foot inside the Ivorians’ penalty area. The referee initially waved off appeals from the Nigeria players but later awarded the penalty after consulting VAR.
Super Eagles Captain, Troost Ekong stepped up and calmly converted the spot kick to hand his team a 1-0 lead which they will defended right till the end to earn their first win of the ongoing tournament.
With the result, the Super Eagles of Nigeria are second in the group. They are level on point with Equitorial Guinea who are top because of their superior goal difference.
Nigeria will face Guinea Bissau in the final group match while Ivory Coast will trade tackles with Equitorial Guinea needing a win to confirm their qualification for the next round of the tournament.
