-
Nigeria v Ghana: Super Eagles survive late fight back to hand Finidi George winning start against Black Stars
The Super Eagles secured the ‘Jollof Derby’ bragging rights with a 2-1 victory over the Black Stars on Friday evening at the Grand de Stade Marrakech in Marrakech, Morocco.
Playing their first game since the 2023 AFCON final, the Nigeria national team displayed a strong performance against Ghana.
The match began with a scrappy affair, lacking rhythm or fluency from either side. However, Nigeria gradually increased their work rate, applying high pressure on Ghana and earning a penalty for a handball inside the box after 34 minutes of play. Cyriel Dessers calmly converted the penalty, deceiving goalkeeper Lawrence Ati-Zigi and giving Nigeria a 1-0 lead, which they maintained until halftime.
In the second half, Ghana showed greater purpose and threat in their attacking play. However, their momentum suffered a setback in the 56th minute when defender Jerome Opoku received a red card, leaving spectators puzzled as the reason for his dismissal was unclear.
Despite being a player down, Ghana continued to push for an equalizer, but their efforts were thwarted when Ademola Lookman scored Nigeria’s second goal in the 84th minute.
In the dying moments of the game, Ghana managed to pull one back with a goal four minutes into stoppage time as Jordan Ayew calmly converted from the penalty spot. However, the match ended 2-1 in favor of the Super Eagles.
Although facing defeat, the Ghanaian players deserve commendation for their resilience and determination, resulting in a late goal during the closing minutes of the match.
Bright Osayi-Samuel’s late foul resulted in Ghana scoring a goal, denying Nigeria a clean-sheet victory over their rivals, a situation that could have been avoided.
The Super Eagles are scheduled to play Mali in their upcoming friendly on Tuesday, March 26th, while Ghana will face Uganda on the same day.