Nigeria Defeats Sierra Leone In 2023 AFCON Qualifiers Opener

Nigeria began its quest to qualify for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire with a laboured 2-1 win against a resilient Sierra Leone side at the Moshood Abiola stadium in Abuja on Thursday evening reports Prime Business Africa.

The Group A game in the qualification campaign towards next year’s AFCON was new head coach Jose Peseiro’s first win in charge of the team after two successive defeats in international friendlies against Mexico and Ecuador in the United States.

Sierra Leone went ahead in the 11th minute through Jonathan Morsey who nodded past the outstretched Francis Uzoho with Musa Kamara providing the delightful cross into the box.

Iwobi restored parity for the Super Eagles five minutes later as he stroked the ball to the bottom right corner from the edge of the box after a pass from Moses Simon.

The Sierra Leonans continues to put pressure on the Eagles especially from the Nigerians’ right side but Victor Osimhen put the three-time African champions ahead four minutes before the break.

Ola Aina’s cross into the visitors’ box was headed down onto the path of Osimhen by Moses Simon. The Napoli man expertly scored with aplomb.

Moses Simon was on the cusp of a third goal before the half time whistle but the Sierra Leonean keeper Mohamed Nbalie Kamara nimbly gathered the ball at his feet.

The Nigeria coach made a raft of changes in the second half mainly due to niggling injuries to key players William Troost Ekong and Osimhen which would be a huge worry ahesd of their next game in Marrakech, Morocco on Tuesday against Sao Tome and Principe.