Johnson Opeisa
Atalanta BC’s forward Ademola Lookman was the hero as the Super Eagles of Nigeria outclassed the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon 2-0 in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) second round of 16 fixture at the Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny in Abidjan last night.
The West African giants who qualified on the back of a drab 1-0 victory over Guinea-Bissau put up their best performance in the competition so far and nearly got an early return for it when Semi Ajayi perfectly dispatched a loose ball into the net, only for a lengthy VAR review to adjudge the 30-year-old offside and rub him of his second-ever international goal.
That, however, gave the Cameroonian a wake-up call, as the five-time African champions appeared increasingly confident of grabbing a first-half draw, before the Eagles wrenched an opener off them, against the run of play.
2023 African Player of the Year, Victor Osimhen, showed why he’s deserving of the crown, as the Napoli marksman capitalized on Oumar Gonzalez’s poor touch to dispossess the defender and selflessly set up Lookman for the game’s opener.
The three-time African champions picked it up from where they stopped in the second half, but suffered a huge blow as goalkeeper Stanley Nwabili—who has only conceded a goal in their four outings—was substituted off for Francis Uzoho due to an injury.
Undeterred, Nigeria came close to doubling their lead through Ola Aina in the 86th minute, but the defender’s effort was blocked by Nouhou Tolo, before Lookman eventually put an icing on his performance in the injury time.
The ex-Leicester City star benefited from a sumptuous cross from Calvin Bassey to send his strike past Fabrice Ondoa and put the game well out of the reach of Rigobert Song’s side.
The victory implies Nigeria are now unbeaten in their last five competitive games against Cameroon, as they gear up for a February 2nd quarter-final clash against the Palancas Negras of Angola who defeated Namibia 3-0 in the competition’s first knock-out fixture at the Stade de la Paix in Bouaké.
The Eagles 🦅 have found their mojo. Hopefully they keep this rich vein of form against Angola on Friday!