Umar Sadiq opened his Super Eagles goals account after netting in the 2-0 win against Guinea-Bissau, in their last Group D game in Garoua on Wednesday, Completesports.com reports
Also on target for the Eagles was skipper William Troost-Ekong who recorded his second AFCON goal after first scoring at the 2019 edition.
Interim coach Austine Eguavoen, has now equalled his feat of winning all three group games as Eagles coach at the AFCON 2006.
Guinea-Bissau had the first big chance on 10 minutes after Mama Balde failed to control a through pass before colliding with Francis Uzoho.
In the 15th minute, Semi Ajayi almost put the Super Eagles ahead, but his header from Kelechi Nwakali’s free kick went just over the bar.
The Eagles went close again on 19 minutes, this time through Chidera Ejuke who cut in from the left only to see his goal-bound shot blocked for a corner.
Umar Sadiq had the game’s biggest chance on 25 minutes after good play from Nwakali, but the striker failed to bury the chance despite going one on one with the keeper before being dispossessed.
Also Read – Live Blogging: Guinea Bissau vs Nigeria – Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2021
Kelechi Iheanacho went close too in the 31st minute after connecting with Nwakali’s corner, but Guinea-Bissau keeper got down well to stop it from hitting in the back of the net.
With one minute left in the first half, Guinea-Bissau had a good chance to take the lead, but Jorginho’s shot from the edge of the box, following a clearance from a corner, went just wide.
Iheanacho almost scored from the centre of the pitch on 55 minutes but the keeper Palmed his effort over the bar.
But the Eagles broke the deadlock through Sadiq on 56 minutes as he slotted home Iheanacho’s superb pass with the outside of his boot.
Before the restart, the Eagles made a double substitution with Moses Simon and Peter Olayinka replacing Sadiq and Ejuke.
Guinea-Bissau almost equalized from a free-kick close to the Eagles’ box, but the effort came off Troost-Ekong and went just wide for a corner.
In the 71st minute Iwobi went close off Simon’s cutback but his shot at the edge of the box was blocked.
With 15 minutes left, Troost-Ekong made it 2-0 tapping into an empty net after Simon went past two players inside the box and hit his shot against the bar, which fell to the skipper.
The Eagles made another double change with Olisa Ndah and Frank Onyeka coming on for Ebuehi and Nwakali respectively.
Guinea-Bissau had a chance to get on the scoresheet following a left foot strike by Leonel Alves, but Uzoho parried away for a corner.
In the 83rd minute Simon went close again going past his marker inside the box but only got a corner.
With five minutes left, Henry Onyekuru was brought on for the impressive Iheanacho.
Guinea-Bissau had a good chance in the 87th off a strike from Frederic Mendy, but Uzoho spilled the effort before Ajayi made a timely block.
And in three minutes of added time the Eagles broke on a counter with Olayinka teeing up Simon whose left foot strike went just off target.
In the Group D’s other game played in Yaounde, Egypt beat Sudan 1-0 to qualify alongside the Eagles for the Round of 16. Mohamed Abdelmoneim netted the solitary match winner in the 35th minute.
The Pharaohs ended on six points after recording two wins and losing one game which came against the Eagles. They finished second in the Group D behind winner Nigeria who made it 100 per cent on nine points.
Sudan and Guinea-Bissau are out of AFCON 2021 after ending their group campaign with one point apiece.
MATCH STATS: GUINEA-BISSAU 0 – 2 NIGERIA
Scorers: A. Umar 56′; Troost-Ekong 75′
Venue: Roumde Adjia Stadium, Garoua
Referee: Peter Waweru (Kenya)
LINEUPS
GUINEA-BISSUA:
12 Maurice Gomis (GK) – 2 Fali Cande, 5 Panutche Camara (23 Alfa Semedo, 69th min), 6 Braima Jorge Capt. ,11 Jorge Intima (14 Fernandy Mendy, 70th min.), 15 Jefferson Encada, 16 Moreto Cassama (3 Leonel Alves, 78th min.), 17 Mama Balde (7 Mauro Rodrigues, 88th min.), 18 Piqueti Djassi (9 Steve Ambri, 70th min.), 20 Mane Manconi
22 Opa Sangante .
Subs Not Used:
1 Jonas Mendes, 4 Simao Junior
10 Pele, 13 Frederic Mendy
21 Nanu, 24 Manuel Balde
COACH: Baciro Cande
NIGERIA:
23 Francis Uzoho (GK) – 21 Tyronne Ebuehi (26 Olisa Ndah, 81st min.), 3 Jamilu Collins, 5 William Troost-Ekong Capt. , 6 Semi Ajayi, 76th min.), 4 Wilfred Ndidi, 25 Kelechi Nwakali (8 Frank Onyeka, 81st min.),
14 Kelechi Iheanacho (11. Henry Onyekuru, 85th min.), 13 Chidera Ejuke (15 Moses Simon, 57th min),
18 Alex Iwobi, 24 Sadiq Umar (28 Peter Olayinka, 57th min).
Subs Not Used:
27 John Noble, 1 Maduka Okoye
22 Kenneth Omeruo, 19 Taiwo Awoniyi, 7 Ahmed Musa, 17 Samuel Chukwueze, 12 Zaidu Sanusi
COACH: Augustine Eguavoen
By Adeboye Amosu in Garoua
29 Comments
Ndah will replace Ekong soonest …..Mark my words
Replace ekong per say him play something, you people should pls not mislead the coach
Yes I also observed it…….the guy with the long hair…..very calm and composed……has a way of winning the ball from opponent with ease and without committing a foul…. accurate passes….Very nice defender from the little I saw of him today.
Good game. Subs injected more life into the attack. Sadiq Umar had me rolling with laughter on my bed and Kelechi seemed fatigued. Moses Simon just needs to stay in form till we get to the finals. Lol.
Up Not Nigeria.
Moses Simon is simply world class….. Moses Simon has no right to do that to those defenders…….Moses is just too wicked lolz…….SE is playing a unique Brand of football that is new to the African continent…… Very calm in possession of the ball but become agitated when the ball is lost…… Very neat and accurate ground passing…….SE so far have succeeded in imposing their style of play on all their opponents and make the opposition play the game the way SE want it to be played…….It will take a very hard working team to break this style of play and I have not seen any team capable of doing that so far…….It’s still too early to start celebrating but technically SE is miles ahead of the rest……SE is the only team with 9 points in the group stage and they did it emphatically….,..the signs are good and I said it from the onset that I have a very good feeling about this team…….On a brighter note why Nigeria come pack all the fine boys for this Afcon for their team na…… their faces are so fine but their football is rugged and it’s so nice.
Moses simon has the right bro. Have you forgotten what GB said before this match” they rather die on the pitch than loose to us”.
Good one SE, keep flying high.
Up naija
Group stages are over no time to gamble, lose and go home. Two reliable goalkeepers; okoye and uzoho, but I will go with uzoho. Three dependable defenders; ekong, ajayi and Kenneth, prefer ekong and ajayi. Two reliable right full back; ola and ebuchi, any can play, Ndah is calamity waiting to happen. One reliable lift wing back: sanusi, Collins not too dependable. Two reliable DM/CM: ndidi and aribo, nwakali and frank can come in dying minute if their services are needed. One attacking midfielder: Alex. One supporting striker: kelechi. One dependable winger: moses, chukwueze and henry can be managed. One dependable striker: awoniyi, olayinka can come in to replace him, sadiq is minus one. We are go to go, may God bless Nigeria
I love your take, Doug. Thank you, bro.,
You’re not different from Rohr very pathetic decision maker. How can you bench Sanusi and play Ebuehi. You’re a big clown then top it up by calling Ndah composed display on his debut calamity to behold. Your brains are dead for wishing someone bad on his debut and also your false interpretation of the Game. Go back to reboot.
I hope that guinea pig that said he will die if they fail to beat super eagles is in the coffin already waiting to be buried.but that moses simon is too much.
Abi na, especially that goalkeeper
Nice job by Austin eguavoen,you can imagine what rohr turned this world stars to, it’s really a shame. This team is full of talents I swear, her composed, playing with confidence even from the back. We are really a team to beat in this turnanents. Scouts are watching, ndah is good, I don’t think he will remain in SA again. They all tried today…
Na the same ball we watch good as how, make una no go mislead the coach
We shall get there to the final. G/Bissau captain was reportedly saying ” he rather die on the playing field than lose this game to Nigeria” l am waiting to find out when is the funeral schedule to take play, now that he had lost to the superior team from Nigeria. Talk is cheap.
Make una forgive that guy, na just talk. GB were never a match for us, if not for those first half waste the refer would have ended the game in 85mins, to avoid more embarrassment
A masterful and domineering display by the super eagles (Team B for that matter) against an opposition desperately in search of a win to pick a qualification ticket in a major tournament. What a classy team ? and with a Victor Osimen still to come; Good days indeed are ahead for the SE!
I love your take, Doug. Thank you, bro.,
@Douglas John, Ndah that I watched help stabilize the defence after he came on and even allow Ekong to Overlap which resulted in the goal.Ndah is not a Calamity at all..If u watch him closely you will realize he is a baller.keeps possession well and also passes accurately,. Don’t forget, this is only his first match for S.E. In another development seems Rohr is not talking again ever since Nigeria play three, win three without conceding, not playing and attractive attacking football which in sure Brazil and Germany will be talking note of.
Na the same game we watch, when did Ndah free Ekong, Ekong scored 75mins, Ndah replace Ebuchi 76mins. So which time Ndah take free ekong. Go and watch that game again if ekong ever step out of the defence wen Ndah was introduced. It was Henry that was doing most of the defending compare to ebuchi that parked 911 in that wing. It was Collins that received baptism of fire today, you should stop misleading others. I hope the coach will not repeat the same error of 2006 against Ivorian again
There was even a moment he saved Ekong’s blushes by calmly retrieving the ball back from the opponent when Ekong calamitously lost the ball in a very dangerous area
Douglas John Ufuoma, are you blind? What match did you watch? Henry helping the defence? You a clown.
Plz cancel l not before playing above
Is this not the same Moses Simon that they said can not dribble ant?
The Moses Simon we’ve been seeing so far, he is one of the best players, not only in Africa, but on the entire planet. I don’t know what is in the Cameroon water he has been drinking, but it is clear that Moses Simon has transformed into a BEAST in front of our very eyes.
The lesson here is that we need to be patient with these players. 2 months ago, many forumites would not have batted an eyelid if Simon was excluded from the Afcon team. Look at him today! Perhaps we should not be in such a hurry to write off Sadiq? If he can still find the net despite having a poor display, imagine what he will do when he finally starts clicking?
Having said that, Sadiq really needs to up his game. His goal was the only good thing that came from him today. He needs to show more energy, more intensity. Based on what we observed today, Awoniyi, Iheanacho and Olayinka are miles ahead of him. It’s up to him produce performances that will propel him back up in the pecking order.
The best thing about this team is the SQUAD DEPTH. We have options all over the pitch. That is what it takes to win trophies.
We are now at the business end of the tournament. With FOCUS, INTENSITY AND DETERMINATION, the cup is beckoning. Nigeria, come and get me!!!
Nice game. Show no mercy. Our bench is as deadly as the first team. The depth in the team is just outstanding. Congratulations to egu and his boys. 9 points from 3 matches no easy at all. The fact that we eased past all these teams shows that we are a team to beat but that is not to say that the teams we played weren’t tough. They were big time, but the quality and determination of our team made them look ordinary. However, I don’t think mr sadiq is built for African football. He’s too soft, dull, slow and less aggressive as a striker. He just jumps around rlthe final third like a pregnant kangaroo whilst needlesly fouling defenders for no just reason. We miss Osimhen.
Oakfield, the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF KANGAROOS have sent you a letter expressing their displeasure that you compared Sadiq to them.
They hereby publicly deny it. According to them, Sadiq no resemble them in any way, shape or form.
Sadiq wey dey fall up and down if small breeze blow am, Kangaroo no dey fall like dat na?
The Kangaroos are not happy with you at all, Oakfield.
You have been warned!
Loooool@pompei… Hahaha…. Wetin u want make I talk nah??? …. That guy is just too lazy and slow for african football and I think that was why egu had to change him early in the second half. I tire for that guy…
Guys in all honesty Sadiq though he missed that chance didnt play too badly. He made some poor judgement in some areas like when he tried to satch the keeper off his line with a long ball from the middle. He held up play well, he shielded the ball and whenever he fell he was fouled. There was a time in the box when he fell in the box i tot it was a penalty but the defender got d ball cleanly. Also if u watch the thru pass Nwakali provided to him, from where he was running to the ball (from the right side) there was no way he could shoot from there and get any good contact with the ball hence the reason he tried dribbling the keeper which he succeeded in doing but there were defenders to the rescue. He is new to the team and will take some time for him to get used to his teammates. Most players on dis team have someone that they have played with in cadet competitions (nwakali has osimen abd chukwueze, awoniyi has iheanacho, others have been with the team longer) its easy for dem to interact with others. Its like u are bew at school and dont have much friends, the longer u stay are the skool the more confident u become as u start making friends. He just needs some time to get his footing and he will come good. Personally i think he is an upgrade to onuachu for sure, u can tell he got skills, always willing to go 1v1 with defenders. He does legover without falling yakata like onuachu. If u watch all the games he has played, he presses and others dont press along with him and ge gets frustrated. U will see him gesturing to iheanacho and ithers to press with him and when they dont, he looks frustrated. To me he is a good player but we are using osimen type of playibg style to judge every striker. Sadiq isnt a speedster like an olayinka ir awoniyi, he is not the aggressive kind but give him time and play to his strength and he will deliver. I implore u guys to take a look at the game today again without a preconceived notion about him and honestly judge his play u will realize he is better than we think. He is way faster than Onuachu for sure and a better hustler, not at osimen, awoniyi or olayinka’s level but well above onuachu for sure. There is no guarantee that Dessers will do any better but i do think he deserves a chance. But i do believe Sadiq has a place in this team. 1 start and a goal is not a bad return, its just that we expected more. Cut the guy some slack, he will come good, I’m sure of it. Just my tot
I miss my Cyriel Dessers. He’s the next after Dennis and Osigoal. I once warned on this forum about Legelege Umar, he’s skillful but hes always playing like we are in 5aside. No presence yet skillful but annoying, no wonder Gerrard got upset with him at Rangers. He has to grow up and create a presence like Peter Crouch of Liverpool or Anelka of France lanky like pole but they dey make straight moves and strike confusion on defenders.
This is Nigeria, you wouldn’t get too many chances to impress. When the chance comes, you grab it with feet and hands. The goal he scored might have bought him some time but I am not impressed at all.
I also supported his inclusion in the team in the past but it is clear for all to see that he is not good enough. From the little cameo by Olayinka, I would rather we give him more opportunities in the team than sadiq. I saw hunger and determination play. I also saw good interplay between him and the midfielders. Give him more playing time and he would surprise all.