Nigeria, still reeling from failing to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, kicked off their Africa Cup of Nations campaign in Fes, Morocco with a 2-1 victory over Tanzania, courtesy of goals from Semi Ajayi and Ademola Lookman.
It was a match in which the result and three crucial points in the bag mattered more than the performance and may go a long way in rekindling the interest of Super Eagles fans disheartened from World Cup qualification failure. That said, many Nigerian fans would say that only going all the way and lifting the Afcon trophy for Nigeria’s fourth win would mean adequate compensation for missing out on the World Cup.
Last time around in Ivory Coast, Nigeria finished with the silver medal, losing 2-1 to the hosts in the final. That run to the final was built on a solid defence marshalled by skipper William Troost-Ekong. He’s now retired from the national team and his absence has left a huge leadership hole in central defence.
Surely, better teams than Tanzania would be licking their lips at the prospects of facing such an accident-prone defence. While Ajayi is a solid and dependable replacement for Troost-Ekong, the talented newbie Benjamin Frederick was ruled out due to injury before this tournament. And lapses in concentration from both fullbacks Bright Osayi-Samuel and Zaidu Sanusi would have been troubling for coach Eric Chelle. The absence of Ola Aina at fullback continues to be felt.
Nigeria dominated proceedings early on and should have taken the lead after 10 minutes when Calvin Bassey hit the bar from a corner. Another chance was nearly converted by Victor Osimhen with 10 minutes of the first half left but was cleared off the line.
A minute later the favourites took the lead when Ajayi headed home a perfectly flighted cross from Alex Iwobi. But the Nigerians should have had more to show for their quality if not for Samuel Chukwueze’s chronic poor decision making. Too frequently, he failed to release the ball at the perfect time.
Tanzania shocked Nigeria five minutes after the interval with a sweeping move that found Sanusi flat-footed on the left of the Nigerian defence as Charles M’Mombwa ghosted in to slide the ball past Stanley Nwabali in the Nigeria goal.
Two minutes later, as Tanzania were still basking in being on level terms, Lookman collected the ball from Iwobi and rifled in a superb drive with his left foot.
Tanzania had their moments due to shoddy defending and will be encouraged by their performance. For Nigeria, the hope has to be that things can only get better. Scoring two goals with none from the talismanic Osimhen is a good sign. Lookman’s return to the sort of form that made him Africa Player of the Year last season is welcome news.
But bigger tasks lie in wait.
