Osimhen! Osimhen!! Osimhen!!! The Super Eagles supporters echoed as the striker made it down with his Man of the Match award to appreciate them for their support for 90 minutes.
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But Osimhen was not the goal scorer on the night, vice captain William Troost-Ekong provided the winner from the penalty spot. The defender smashed the ball into the middle of the net with no hesitation.
That goal sealed Nigeria’s first win of 2024 and the first win of the 34th Africa Cup of Nations. The win then takes them to joint top of the table in group A on the same point but behind on goal difference having only scored twice as opposed to Equatorial Guinea’s five goals.
The mantra – ‘Let’s Do It Again’ can now be activated in the tournament as the win against the host has motivated and increased the level of confidence in the team and the fans both in Nigeria and in Abidjan.
After the draw against Equatorial Guinea, Jose Peseiro said “God gives, God takes,” but against Cote D’Ivoire, it does look like God did give us on the night.
So what changed in that hard earned win against Cote D’Ivoire.
The Hunger
After the draw against Equatorial Guinea, it was obvious the players needed to do better. They realized it themselves as they had a 20 minutes players meeting led by Ahmed Musa, Troost Ekong and Kenneth Omeruo in the recovery session after the game.
The result of the meeting was obvious in the game. There was hunger in players, the bite to fight for every ball, win every second ball, slide into every tackle and savor every moment of the game.
After the absence of Alhassan Yusuf was confirmed, many had lost hope but there was something different in Frank Onyeka who played alongside Iwobi in midfield.
But overall, the team performance was far better; easily could be tagged the best team performance under Jose Peseiro. Maybe it was the formation, but that was some performance.
3-4-3 is the new way
Peseiro has often played a 4-4-2 or a 4-3-3 since he became the coach of the Super Eagles. But on the night, he switched to a 3-4-3. The change of formation was a very surprising one but was spot on.
Ekong was the marshall in the three man defence and he did amazingly well leading Bassey and Ajayi. In midfield, Iwobi and Onyeka worked their socks off alongside Aina and Zaidu on the wings.
Upfront, Osimhen was the head with Chukwueze and Lookman on the flanks. The boys looked like they understood the assignment well and they delivered to the latter.
“God gives whoever deserves it.” Jose Peseiro said at the post match conference so it does look like the 3-4-3 might be the new set-up for the Super Eagles. A lot of the players looked comfortable in their positions. If maintained, the system might carry the team far in the competition.
Nwabali is the new Super Eagles wings
Stanley Nwabali got his second straight start for the Super Eagles at the AFCON. This time a more commanding outing that saw him make point blank saves in the encounter. He was also a more vocal goalkeeper, instructing his defenders and protecting his box.
The command in the air was also very important as his calculations were top notch on the night. it is safe to say the Super Eagles have finally found the number one.
The former NPFL star was also awarded the “save of the day” by CAF on the night. The big man certainly has everything going for him in the tournament.
Super Eagles v Guinea Bissau
The Super Eagles need to defeat another Guinea team, Guinea-Bissau to ensure they finish top of the group A. At the moment, they sit in second position on goal difference.
If they beat Bissau with at least 2 goals and result favour them in the Equatorial Guinea- Ivory Coast fixture, they top the group.
The tie would be played on Monday at the Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny, 6pm Nigerian time.
Top Photo: Pooja Media