By Akinwale Kasali
The Super Eagles of Nigeria were stunned by the Djurtus of Guinea Bissau as a Mama Balde 23rd minutes strike was all they needed to claim their first ever win against Nigeria.
The vociferous crowd at the Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola Stadium in Abuja were silenced by the visiting Guinea Bissau that remained resolute in defense, frustrating Nigeria’s attacker throughout the 90 minutes.
The Super Eagles started the game on a bright note, creating few clear cut chances but failed to convert them.
A major long pass from Jefferson Encada found Balde who Cooly slotted the ball past oncoming Super Eagles goalkeeper, Francis Uzoho to give them the lead.
The Three Time African Cup Of Nations Champion struggled upfront to get an equalizer which never came.
Guinean Bissau could have doubled the lead before the end of the first half but narrowly missed the begging chance.
In the Second Half, the Super Eagles gave their all but this never paid off.
Paul Onuachu and Moses Simon were introduced in the second half but this never metamorphosed into anything positive as the Guinea Bissau team remain compact in the defense and depended solely on counter attack.
Coach Jose Peseiro of the Super Eagles was forced to remove Wilfred Ndidi for Frank Onyeka, while Levij Akpoguma was forced out with an injury of the head and replaced by Oluwasemilogo Ajayi.
Samuel Chukwueze was a shadow of himself all through the match as his crosses failed to connect the two strikers upfront and fired wide on two occasions, prompting the Coach to substitute him for Ahmed Musa.
Nigeria started the game with Uzoho in goal, Calvin Bassey, Akpoguma, Zaidu Sanusi and Bright Osayi-Samuel were at the heart of the defense, while Ndidi, Alex Iwobi, Chukwueze and Ademola Lookman were the midfielders.
Victor Osimhen and Kelechi Iheanacho paired upfront, but the Djurtus team were resilient, determined, proactive and ruthless in defense, denying the Super Eagles the needed equalizer.
With this victory, Guinea Bissau top the Group with Seven Points, Nigeria Six Point, Sierra Leone Two and São Tomé and Principe have just a point.
Sierra Leone was forced to a 2-2 draw by São Tomé and Principe to record their second draw in the AFCON 2023 qualifiers.
The Super Eagles will travel to Bissau for the return leg of the double header on Tuesday, March 28th, 2023.
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