he Nigerian Super Eagles aim for unblemished finish in AFCON qualifiers

Posted : 06 September 2023

The Nigerian Super Eagles are set to face the Falcons of Sao Tome and Principe in a seemingly formality match to conclude the group A qualifiers of the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament. The match will be held at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, on Sunday at 1700 hours.

The decision to move the match to Uyo from their regular base at the Moshood Abiola Stadium in Abuja stemmed from various opinions, including claims that the Super Eagles had an alleged curse preventing them from winning matches there. Additionally, there were allegations that the Gbagyi tribe, the original landowners of Abuja, felt inadequately compensated for their land.

Nonetheless, Portuguese-born Jose Paseiro, Nigeria's coach, survived a turbulent period, agreeing to a salary reduction from $70,000 to $60,000 per month. His contract extension is conditional on the team reaching at least the semifinals of the AFCON tournament scheduled for next January.

Paseiro has incorporated three new players into the squad, excluding veteran captain Ahmed Musa. The newcomers are Victor Boniface from Bayern Leverkusen, Gift Orban from Gents, and Jordan Torunarigha, who switched from representing Germany to Nigeria, playing for Gent of Belgium. Jordan, son of former Shooting Stars player Ojokojo, had initially attempted to play for Nigeria's U21 in the Russian World Cup but faced challenges in switching allegiance.

The match will be officiated by Referee Lahlou Benbraham of Algeria, marking his first time handling a match involving Nigeria. In his last 10 games, he issued 69 cards, including nine red cards, indicating his strict officiating style.

Media coverage for the match has been limited, with only one reporter and one cameraman accredited from each media outlet due to space constraints in the press box.

The final qualifiers for the AFCON tournament will be determined between September 6th and September 12th. Several teams have already secured their spots, including Nigeria, Guinea Bissau, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Egypt, Guinea, Algeria, South Africa, Mali, Ivory Coast, Zambia, Morocco, Tunisia, and Equatorial Guinea.

In the 120 matches played thus far, 290 goals have been scored at an average of 12.42 goals per match. Nigeria leads the goal tally with 16 goals, and Victor Osimhen is the top scorer with seven goals.

Nigeria currently tops Group A with 12 points, needing just a draw to secure their spot in Ivory Coast. Guinea Bissau is in second place with 10 points, Sierra Leone has 5 points, and Sao Tome and Principe trails with just one point.

The group stage matches have been intense, with Nigeria delivering a historic 10-0 victory over Sao Tome. The Super Eagles will aim to wrap up the qualifiers in style and proceed to the AFCON tournament in Ivory Coast, set to take place from January 13th to February 11th, 2024.

he Nigerian Super Eagles aim for unblemished finish in AFCON qualifiers

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