José Peseiro’s coached team has secured a spot in the Round of 16 of the AFCON after defeating Guinea-Bissau 1-0. However, Nigeria finished second in the group, behind Equatorial Guinea, who surprisingly thrashed the host Ivory Coast 4-0. Nonetheless, the Ivorian team is not yet eliminated.
Already eliminated, Guinea-Bissau sought to bid farewell to the competition with points and managed to balance the game, even threatening Nigeria’s goal on several occasions. However, an unfortunate incident in the first half ultimately determined the outcome.
Opa Sangante, defending Guinea-Bissau’s goal, tried to prevent Osimhen’s shot but accidentally scored an own goal before halftime.
In the second half, Nigeria wasted good opportunities, and Guinea even reached 1-1, but Franculino Dju’s goal was disallowed for offside. Seconds later, Zaidu, FC Porto’s defender, also had a goal disallowed due to Lookman’s offside position at the beginning of the play.
The major surprise occurred in the simultaneous match, where Equatorial Guinea stunned the host Ivory Coast, which only needed a win to secure qualification. Now, Ivory Coast will vie for progression in the group of the best third-placed teams, and the heavy defeat may have a negative impact on one of the title contenders.
The Ivorian team performed better in the first half but saw Nsue open the scoring from the penalty spot just before halftime.
One opportunity, one goal. The lone Guinea incursion ended up in the net, and the hosts, lackluster in defense, surprisingly fell behind, despite having multiple chances before this goal. Before the end of the first half, Sangaré had the equalizer disallowed for offside.
In the second half, Nottingham’s midfielder had another great opportunity, but once again, Equatorial Guinea capitalized.
After enduring pressure—Seko Fofana and Kouamé missed significant chances for Ivory Coast—Guinea took control in the last 20 minutes of the game.
Pablo Ganet (73′) silenced the Ivory Coast-affiliated audience, Nsue (78′) scored his fifth goal in the competition, and Buyla, from outside the area, sealed the match with a 4-0 victory.
