Yesterday Nigeria claimed a massive win in a crunch fixture in the AFCON 2023 group stage, with William Troost-Ekong’s thunderous penalty edging out hosts Ivory Coast in a vital 1-0 victory.
This was a statement victory for The Super Eagles, who despite missing a number of chances looked solid at the back and now hold pole position in the group. We spoke to AFCON 1994 winner and Bet9ja Ambassador Victor Ikpeba about his thoughts on the game.
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Not a perfect performance, but this gives us momentum
This result will be a big relief for both the team and all the fans. It wasn’t easy and not the best football from both sides, it was a scrappy game but ultimately a big three points that gives us a great chance of getting into the last 16. The attack hasn’t quite clicked as of yet, but Jose Peseiro chose a more pragmatic team and set up in a more solid fashion to combat Ivory Coast.
This was a good idea – sometimes you have to get the three points regardless of the performance and slowly build up your confidence throughout the tournament. I spoke last week about how our defence has been an issue in recent matches, but getting a clean sheet is a big bonus for us going forward.
All eyes on Victor Osimhen
Victor Osimhen is our star man and everyone knows it, but it almost seems like the pressure is affecting him a bit at the moment. He will always be dangerous even if he’s missing chances – he created the penalty and is always an option in space but we need to see more from him in terms of finishing off chances.
In international tournaments matches can be decided on a moment of brilliance or a lapse of judgement – for us to go far in this tournament Osimhen will have to get his shooting boots on. He’s giving 100% but also needs more help from his teammates.
In defence Troost-Ekong led the side well and dispatched his penalty, along with Ola Aina who uses the ball well and plays with a lot of confidence, but up front we need more from the likes of Samu Chukwueze, Ademola Lookman and Moses Simon.
How the group looks now
This result looks even better now after Equatorial Guinea’s 4-2 victory over Guinea-Bissau, who got a bump up in goal difference after Emilio Nsue’s hat-trick. If Nigeria had failed to win there would have been a massive amount of pressure for our final match. It also means The Super Eagles are very close to guaranteeing a spot in the Last 16, so it’s important to keep the momentum up with another three points and secure a top two finish for an easier tie in the first knock-out.
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