The Super Eagles of Nigeria progressed to the last 16 of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), tagged Cameroon 2021, with 3-1 victory against Sudan in Group D at the Roumde Adjia Stadium in Garoua.
Nigeria came into the match on the back of their strong 1-0 performance against Egypt, while Sudan held Guinea Bissau to a goalless draw.
Augustine Eguavoen’s men got off to a flying start when Villarreal’s Samuel Chukwueze clinically finished Simon Moses’ pass beyond Sudan goalkeeper Ali Abu-Eshrein to break the deadlock.
The Super Eagles dominated possession and created more chances as they looked to extend the lead.
Striker Taiwo Awoniyi doubled Nigeria’s advantage just before half time with an instinctive header to put the Super Eagles in a commanding position.
Sudan couldn’t find a way to contain Nigeria’s formidable attacking threat of Kelechi Iheanacho, Awoniyi, Moses Simon and Chukwueze.
Nigeria then scored the third just after the restart through Moses Simon’s individual goal to put the Super Eagles in a comfortable position.
However, Sudan won a penalty in the 67th minute, following a video assistant referee (VAR) review. Ola Aina was adjudged to have fouled Mustafa Mohammed in the area. Sudan midfielder Walieldin Khidir stepped up and slotted the resulting spot kick past goalkeeper Maduka Okoye to make the scores 3-1.
Both sides continued to create chances but failed to score with the result giving Nigeria pole position in the Group and a place in the knockout stage with a game to spare.
The Super Eagles will play Guinea-Bissau in the final Group D match, while Egypt will be hoping to defeat Sudan to confirm its place in the knockout stages of the Africa Cup of Nations.
Augustine Eguavoen men will be looking to take their fine form into the final Group round. The coach would also be seeking to rest some key players for the match against Guinea-Bissau.
