Nigeria’s Super Eagles have clinched their spot in the quarterfinals of the ongoing African Cup of Nations after a hard-fought 2-0 victory over Cameroon. Ademola Lookman emerged as the hero of the match, scoring a brace that propelled Nigeria into the quarter-finals.
Nigeria thought they had taken the lead early on when Ajayi found the back of the net in the 9th minute, only for VAR to intervene and rule the goal out for offside.
However, the Super Eagles kept going, and Lookman seized the opportunity to open the scoring in the 36th minute, capitalizing on a defensive error to slide the ball under the onrushing Fabrice Ondoa after Osimhen’s relentless pressure.
As the match progressed, Nigeria faced a setback when goalkeeper Nwabali was forced off due to injury after a collision with N’Koudou in the 80th minute.
Nwabali forced off injured
Despite this setback, Lookman once again rose to the occasion, sealing Nigeria’s victory with his second goal in the 90th minute, securing a memorable 2-0 win over Cameroon.
Earlier in the day, Angola had secured their place in the quarterfinals with a commanding 3-0 victory over neighbouring Namibia. Despite an early setback that saw goalkeeper Neblu receiving a red card in the 17th minute, Angola rallied back with an outstanding performance.
Gelson Dala emerged as the star of the match, netting a brace that shifted the momentum in Angola’s favor. Namibia’s hopes dwindled further when defender Lubeni Haukongo was also shown a red card, allowing Angola to dominate proceedings.
Mabululu sealed the deal for Angola with a contender for goal of the tournament midway through the second half, securing their biggest-ever victory in the AFCON finals.
Nigeria and Angola are now set to face each other in a highly anticipated quarterfinal clash.