A first-half own-goal by Opa Sanganté helped Nigeria book their seat at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) knockout stages with a challenging 1-0 victory against a spirited Guinea-Bissau side seeking their maiden win at the tournament.
Having never lost all three games in the AFCON group stages, the already-eliminated Djurtus mounted an impressive resistance to thwart Victor Osimhen and his compatriots, even looking more menacing in the early stages against the three-time AFCON winners.
However, Guinea-Bissau were rocked when Sanganté blasted an attempted clearance against his own goalkeeper, handing Nigeria a fortunate lead. With qualification to the knockout stages at stake, José Peseiro’s men looked comfortable with their one-goal lead heading into the break, with Victor Osimhen coming close to a second goal with a missed header in first-half stoppage time.
An end-to-end encounter ensued after the restart, with both teams having a go at each other at every given opportunity. Before long, Nigeria thought they had doubled their lead, only for referee Bouchra Karboubi to signal handball in the build-up, denying Osimhen a tap-in. It perhaps wasn’t the SSC Napoli marksman’s day, as he once again spurned a priceless header from point-blank range 12 minutes from FT, giving Baciro Candé’s men some hope of claiming at least a draw.
And without delay, the Djurtus were on the cusp of major celebrations when Franculino was denied a goal due to an offside flag before the same fate welcomed Nigeria at the other end. The tense drama continued until the end, with the Super Eagles ultimately claiming a victory in their 100th AFCON appearance to confirm a second-placed finish behind Group A leaders Equatorial Guinea. Meanwhile, Guinea-Bissau exit the competition without a win for the fourth time in succession – a streak of 12 winless games.
