The Super Eagles gave Nigerians a reason to believe they can reach the final of the African Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire after they beat Cameroon 2-0 to set up a quarter-final clash with Angola.
It was no doubt one of the best performances of the Super Eagles so far in the tournament as they totally outclassed the Indomitable Lions who had a hard time trying to contain the dangerous runs of Victor Osimhen. He made the pressure on the Cameroonians count in the 36th minute when he stole the ball from Oumar Gonzalez to set Ademola Lookman up for the first goal of the match, his jab was too strong for Fabriuce Ondoa to keep out.
The Super Super Eagles had earlier warned the Indomitable Lions of their intention when Semi Ajayi scored a goal from a goalmouth scramble, but after a VAR review, his goal was cancelled much to the relief of the Cameroonians.
In the second half the Cameroonians tried to force their way back into the game dominating the possessions with no shots at goal. Stanley Nwabali was well covered with the tight defending of the Super Eagles back five of Ola Aina, Calvin Bassey, Zaidu Sanusi, Semi Ajayi and Troost-Ekong, Kenneth Omeruo who came later for Sanusi also made his presence felt. Fred Onyeka did a marvelous job breaking the play of the Cameroonians. However, Nwabali was replaced by Francis Uzoho after he picked up injury from a collision with Georges Nkoudu.
In the 90th minute, Lookman came back to bite the Cameroonians when he tucked the ball into the net latching a cross from Bassey, who made a run deep into the far side. It was a knockout punch that killed any hope of the Lions finding any late minute comeback.
Earlier in the day Angola beat neighbours Namibia 3-0, and on Friday, they will face the Super Eagles at the Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium in Abidjan, where the Super Eagles have played all the matches so far.
