Just like the
encounter with Egypt and Sudan, Nigeria displayed a brilliant performance to
outclass their West African counterparts 2-0 amid excitement and cheers from
supporters.
The Eagles took on the
Djurtus in their third Group D match at Stade Roumde Adjia in the port city of
Garoua, the capital of Cameroon’s northern region.
They maintained a
dominant form to end their group campaign, winning all nine points from three
matches – the only team to record such feat in the ongoing tournament.
The three-time African
champions went into the match with high spirits, taking charge of the first
half of the game as fans cheer the players with drums and other musical
instruments.
But this was not
enough for Nigeria to get the ball past Guinea-Bissau’s goalkeeper until the
referee blew the whistle, marking the end of the first half.
At the resumption of
the match, Nigerian forward Umar Sadiq put the Eagles ahead of their
Guinea-Bissau contenders thanks to an assist from teammate Kelechi Iheanacho in
the 56th minute.
Shortly after taking
the lead, coach Augustine Eguavoen made his first change of the game and
substituted Sadiq and Chidera Ejuke with Peter Olayinka and Moses Simon
respectively.
VAR Intervenes
Barely 20 minutes
later, Simon dribbled his way into the 18-yard box of the Djurtus before aiming
for another goal for the Nigerian side.
Although the ball hit
the bar, captain William Troost-Ekong proved the ability to lead the team by
coming to the Eagles’ rescue. But Nigeria were not sure if they had extended
the lead until the Video Assistant Referee confirmed a second goal.
Again, Eguavoen
substituted Tyronne Ebuehi for Olisa Ndah while Henry Onyekuru replaced
Iheanacho with just 25 minutes left till the end of the match.
The three-time African
champions went on to maintain the lead until the referee blew the final
whistle.
As if he knew Nigeria
would defeat Guinea-Bissau, President Muhammadu Buhari, shortly after the match
ended, commended the Super Eagles for keeping hope alive by winning all their
group matches and advancing to the second round of the tournament in grand
style.
He, however, urged the
team to maintain and even surpass the terrific form that made them leaders in
the group stage, saying the people hopefully look forward to a total of seven
emphatic wins in the competition.
“President Buhari
trusts that the positive reputation of good sportsmanship the traveling fans,
sportswriters, and the football team have demonstrated in Cameroon will
continue to enliven the importance of sports, particularly football, as an
enabler of development, peace, tolerance, friendship, and cooperation,” said a
statement by the President’s media adviser, Femi Adesina.
He wished the Super
Eagles the very best, pledging that his administration would continue to
support the efforts of international, regional, and national football
organisations to use the sport as a tool to build a better and more peaceful
world.
0 comments:
Post a Comment