The Nigerian Super Eagles stood tall to beat
the Host Ivory Coast Elephants 1 – 0 in Group A at Stade Alassane Ouattara in Ebimpe
on Thursday, January 18, 2024.
Nigeria took a huge step towards reaching the last 16 at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
The match's key moment came in the 55th
minute after Ousmane Diomande caught Victor Osimhen in the box.
That allowed William Troost-Ekong to blast
home from the penalty spot.
Roared on by a raucous crowd, the Ivorians
pushed hard for an equalizer but failed to create a clear chance against a
solid Super Eagles defence.
The Elephants' first ever defeat against Nigeria on home soil means Ivory Coast become the first host nation to lose an AFCON group game in 18 fixtures going back to 2012.
Nigeria leapfrog the Elephants to go second in
Group A and behind leaders Equatorial Guinea, who beat Guinea-Bissau
4-2 earlier on Thursday, on head-to-head record.
The Ivorians have three points after two games
and will now need to beat Equatorial Guinea on Monday (17:00 GMT) to guarantee
progress to the knockout stage.
Nigeria, whose four points could already be enough to see the three-time winners through, faces Guinea-Bissau (17:00 GMT) in their final Group A fixture.
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