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AFCON: Super Eagles book their place in the knockout rounds
With a close victory over Guinea-Bissau on Monday, Nigeria secured their spot in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) knockout stage.
Little separated the two sides until a cross entered the Guinea-Bissau box in the first half, which was accidentally sent into his own goal by defender Opa Sangante.
Two minutes into the second half, Nigeria had a great opportunity to double their lead when Moses Simon was sent through on goal, but goalkeeper Jonas Mendes made a great save to deny the winger. A few minutes later, Mendes rushed out to stop Victor Osimhen from getting onto the ball and causing some trouble.
Nigeria persisted in pressing, and moments after Osimhen saw a challenging header narrowly miss the mark, the Napoli player fired in his team’s second goal, only for the referee to call it out. Ola Aina sent in a wonderful cross, giving Osimhen another opportunity to score, but the forward’s header missed the mark once more.
Franculino Dju gave Guinea-Bissau the impression that they had tied the score late on, but the assistant’s flag disallowed him. Nigeria countered with a goal of their own, but it was again disallowed, and the Super Eagles held on to win 1-0.
Kenneth Omeruo, a rock at the back, was essential to Nigeria maintaining their lead. In contrast to the Super Eagles, Guinea-Bissau was far from helpless, but Omeruo made valuable contributions with some powerful tackles, excellent aerial play, and accurate passing. He looked great with Calvin Bassey, who once again made an impression.
Nigeria will play the winner of Group C, which may be Senegal, Guinea, or Cameroon, after finishing second in Group A. Meanwhile, Guinea-Bissau lose badly in the competition, finishing with zero points at the bottom of the table.