Izuchukwu OkosiThe Super Eagles Saturday evening extended their unbeaten run in recent years against five-time AFCON champions, Cameroon, who had been Nigeria’s nemesis in three previous AFCON finals, 1984, 1988, and 2000 with the latter the most painful experience after Victor Ikpeba’s supposed goal was not eventually counted as one.
The three-time African champions had also beaten the Cameroonians in the third place final of the 1992 AFCON as well as the quarterfinals of the 2004 tournament in Tunisia and the 2019 finals in Egypt.
Prime Business Africa’s Izuchukwu Okosi presents the five takeaways from the exhilarating encounter at the Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium in Abidjan.
1. Plenty of Hopes In Nwabali, Lack of Confidence In Uzoho
Okay, he played just the last 10 minutes of the game but the tension was palpable when he was about to come off the substitute bench in place of the injured Stanley Nwabali.
Nwabali plays his club football for Chippa United in the South African Premier League and was unknown to a lot of Nigerians who don’t follow the African leagues prior to the tournament.
Nwabali has conceded just one goal in four games and has displayed an assuring presence in goal.
Conversely, Uzoho has not covered himself on glory on his recent matches for Nigeria, making a lot of goalkeeping gaffes.
2. Solid Defence Again
Prior to the tournament in the Ivory Coast, the pre Afcon previews from a Nigerian perspective have been focused somewhat on how leaky the Nigeriam defence could be.
So-called African ‘minnows’ Lesotho and Zimbabwe held the Super Eagles to draws in the team’s first two matches in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying fixtures.
They have also suffered humiliating defeats or conceded cheeky goals against the likes of Guinea Bissau and Sierra Leone at home enroute qualification to the ongoing showpiece to suggest that only the attacking unit would shine.
The Eagles have however defied that prediction and have only conceded one goal in four games.
Cameroon did not have a shot on target in 100 minutes of action (including the added time) on Sunday evening despite having a slightly higher percentage of the ball possession.
3. The Eagles Attack Is Back
The Super Eagles attack had been declared toothless by naysayers after scoring three goals in the group stage despite creating about having about 13 XG.
To make the debate even tougher for Jose Peseiro’s team, top scorer in the qualifiers and Africa Footballer of The Year Victor Osimhen has scored just once in the tournament.
However in the round of 16 match against Cameroon, the Eagles won 2-0 and even had one goal disallowed – albeit correctly ruled out for offside.
The trio of Kelechi Iheanacho, Terem Moffi and Ahmed Musa are yet to taste action in the Ivory Coast and could get thelr chances against Angola on Friday in the quarterfinals.
If they fire on all cylinders and Osimhen finally gets his world class scoring boots on again, there are could more from where those two goals came from on Sunday.
4. Iwobi Needs To Start Scoring More
Fulham midfielder cum winger Alex Iwobi missed a good chance to put his name on the goalscorers sheet at the ongoing 2023 Africa Cup of Nations but missed a chance presented to him in the closing stages of the match against Cameroon.
Iwobi’s goal was the winner, after a brace from Jude Odion Ighalo, when the Super Eagles last defeated Cameroon at the Afcon in 2019.
Many Nigerians (though percentage cannot be ascertained) are of the opinion that Iwobi is a very good player but cannot step into the lofty shoes of his uncle, Austin Jay Jay Okocha in the attacking midfield position.
To become more effective, the Hale End Academy product at Arsenal would need to start scoring more goals from the midfield or have more assists in his statistics to fully gain the confidence of the skeptical Nigerian fans.
5. Yusuf, Onyemaechi, Awaziem For Angola
Zaidu Sanusi’s performance against Cameron was okay defensively but in support of the attack down the flanks, he was lacking the ordcosowhem he delivered hi crosses.
Perhaps it will tone to play the resourceful Bruno Onyemaechi in his stead against Angola.
The duo of Alhassan Yusuf and Chidozie Awaziem – along with the aforementioned Iheanacho and Terem Moffi earlier in this piece could offer some unpredictability in the Eagles lineup and formation.
Tine for José Peseiro to be unpredictable.
Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
In October 2004, Okosi joined Complete Communications Limited, publishers of Complete Sports newspaper and Complete Football magazine as a reporter and later script writer for the Complete Sports studio.
He worked there for 13 years until October 2017.
Okosi also worked various times as Correspondent, Content creator and Editor at Sports Market International Magazine, Opera News, All Nigeria Soccer Media and Iconic Media Watch.
He also undertook freelance writing gigs for some local and international organizations.
Okosi is a member of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Association of Movie Producers (AMP), Association of Voiceover Artistes of Nigeria (AVOA), Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) and Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).
He has been part of cast in some Nollywood movies and radio dramas including Blood Money 2, Scores To Settle, Dead End 2, Another Campus Tale and Battle Line.
Aside mainstream media and the entertainment industry, he has interests in scouting/unearthing of talents in the sports and creative sectors, exports business and property development.
