Nigeria secured their spot in the knockout stage of the Africa Cup of Nations with a narrow victory over Guinea-Bissau on Monday.
The match remained evenly matched until a cross was delivered into the Guinea-Bissau box in the first half, resulting in defender Opa Sangante unintentionally scoring an own goal.
In the second half, Nigeria had a golden opportunity to extend their lead when Moses Simon was sent towards the goal, but goalkeeper Jonas Mendes made an impressive low save to deny the winger. Moments later, Mendes swiftly came out to prevent Victor Osimhen from gaining possession and causing trouble.
Nigeria continuously attacked but was unlucky in their attempts. Osimhen came close to scoring with a difficult header that narrowly missed the target. He later fired in a goal for his team, but it was disallowed by the referee. Osimhen had another opportunity to score when Aina delivered a fantastic cross, but his header went wide once again.
Guinea-Bissau believed they had equalized late in the game through Dju, but the assistant referee’s flag denied him. Nigeria responded by scoring another goal, but it was also disallowed. Despite these setbacks, the Super Eagles managed to hold on for a 1-0 victory.
Kenneth Omeruo played a crucial role in Nigeria’s victory by being a solid defender. Despite Guinea-Bissau’s strong performance, Omeruo contributed with strong tackles, good aerial play, and accurate passing. He formed an excellent partnership with Calvin Bassey, who also impressed in the game.
On the other hand, Opa Sangante had a terrible time at this year’s AFCON. In the first match against Ivory Coast, he made a costly mistake that led to a goal for the opposing team. As a result, he was not included in the next game against Equatorial Guinea. However, he was given another chance in the final group stage match against Nigeria, which turned out to be disastrous. Sangante scored an own goal, ultimately giving Nigeria the victory.
Nigeria, after securing second place in Group A, will advance to face the runner-up in Group C. The potential opponents for Nigeria are Senegal, Guinea, or Cameroon. Unfortunately, Guinea-Bissau has been eliminated from the competition as they finished at the bottom of the table with no points.
