Nigeria were held to a 1-1 draw by Equatorial Guinea in their opening 2023 Africa Cup of Nations game on Sunday.
Ivan Salvador opened the scoring with a fine finish to stun the Super Eagles.
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But the three-time Africans were level within two minutes, with Victor Osimhen rising highest to head home Ademola Lookman’s cross.
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There were no goals in the second half of the game.
So, what are the four things we learnt from the encounter?
1. Equatorial Guinea are no pushovers: Juan Micha’s men have a track record of being giant killers. And they almost shocked the Super Eagles today. They face Guinea-Bissau next and could be top of Group A by the time Ivory Coast vs Nigeria kicks off.
2. Nigeria face an uphill task: The Eagles did not look like a serious team against Equatorial Guinea. It does not help that they face the hosts in their second game. A poor result against the Elephants, and the alarm bells will be loudly ringing amid the possibility of an early exit.
3. Peseiro is still tactically limited: Again, Jose Peseiro looked tactically inept, as he failed to either inspire his players or make game-changing substitutions. Nigeria looked like a badly coached team, bereft of ideas and a will to win.
4. Osimhen has to do better: Most of the Super Eagles’ hopes lay squarely on the shoulders of Victor Osimhen. And although the Napoli striker levelled the scores, he missed gilt-edged chances that would have secured all three points. Osimhen has two more fixtures to live up to his billing as the team’s talisman.
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