The Super Eagles of Nigeria have secured victorious in their second match against Guinea-Bissau, taking charge of their group in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers.
Moses Simon’s Penalty Secures Crucial Points in the Super Eagles’ Hard-Fought 1-0 victory against Guinea-Bissau at the Estadio 24 de Setembro in Bissau on Monday.
The Jose Peseiro-led team bounced back from the disappointing 1-0 loss to the Djurtus in Abuja on Friday.
The Portuguese coach made five changes to the starting line-up. Semi Ajayi and Kenneth Omeruo were brought in to replace Carvin Bassey and Kevin Akpoguma in the defense, while Frank Onyeka substituted the out-of-form Wilfred Ndidi.
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Terem Moffi and Simon were favored over Kelechi Iheanacho and Ademola Lookman in the attack.
The reshuffling of the team reflected the expectations that the coach and Nigerians had of the Super Eagles, and the players responded appropriately.
In the opening minutes of the match, Nigeria came close to scoring when Kenneth Omeruo’s header from a corner kick was saved by Jonas Mendes, the Guinea-Bissau goalkeeper.
Moffi also saw his shot blocked off by the ever-present green line of Djurtus defenders before the striker then missed an even bigger chance when he skied the ball in front of Mendes after muscling his way into the goal area.
But Nigeria got a deserved lead in the 30th minute after Fali Cande scythed down a marauding Bright Osayi-Samuel in the goal area. Simon made no mistake from the resulting penalty kick, sending Mendes the wrong way as he stroked the ball into the bottom right corner.
GOOAL, Nigeria! 🇳🇬
— H/F (@hfworld_) March 27, 2023
Moses Simon converts a penalty to give Super Eagles the lead after Bright Osayi was fouled in the box by Fali Candé
Guinea-Bissau 0-1 Nigeriapic.twitter.com/VBoSqqXCC5
It was the Eagles’ first goal in four consecutive games and a huge one that lifted the pressure off them in the tie.
In the second half, Victor Osimhen nearly made it two but his effort smashed against the inside of the upright to the striker’s agony.
The victory returns Nigeria to the summit of the group with nine points from four games, two points above Guinea-Bissau.
The Eagles will travel to Sierra Leone in June before hosting Sao Tome and Principe in their final game of the qualification series.
The top two in the group will book an automatic ticket for the upcoming AFCON billed for Ivory Coast in 2024.
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