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AFCON 2023: Fans say Eagles’ Performance Below par
Some football fans have described Super Eagles performance in their one all draw against Equatorial Guinea at the 2023 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) as below par.
The second group A game played at the Alhassan Outtara Stadium in Abidjan on Sunday, saw Equatorial Guinea took the lead in the 36 minute of play after Ivan Salvador curled shot into the far corner of the Eagles net.
The three-time African champions replied two minutes later with Victor Osimhen’s powerful header connecting from Ademola Lookman’s cross to draw level.
Efforts from the Nigerian side to snatch the maximum three points was futile as they lost numerous opportunities to convert goals.
Some fans who watched the game at a viewing center in Aco Estate, Abuja expressed their disappointment with Eagles performance following an interview .
Musa Mohammed, a non-league side football player, said he had expected the game to be an easy win for the country, following the disparity in FIFA rankings between both sides.
“Nigeria (42) are ranked way above Equatorial Guinea (88) on the table and there are lots of big names, playing in top leagues in the side, so I had expected an easy win for Eagles.
“The team fumbled with the ball. There were not clinical in front of goal, missed lots of chances especially that Osimhen’s lost opportunity in second half.
“It was an abysmal show and I hope they regroup better ahead of their other group games,” Mohammed said.
Prince Bonachristus, a Physical Health Education teacher, said the defence was not encouraging.
“The defence was frail. They couldn’t clear up their lines. The attacking department also didn’t live up to expectations.
“The team didn’t play like there was something at stake. I hope that Jose Peseiro will do a better job with the team before their next game against hosts Côte d’Ivoire,” he said.
Jessica Mmuo, a student and football enthusiast said: “One point is not good enough when playing a team like Nzalang Nacional. We are way above them in football.
“I hope they go back to the drawing board and quickly correct their errors in this first game, else we should forget about winning this edition of AFCON”.
Nigeria will play hosts Cote d’Ivoire on Thursday before facing Guinea Bissau on Jan. 22. (NAN)
The finals of Gov. Peter Mbah Secondary Schools Games, on Thursday began in Enugu with the arrival and accreditation of athletes at Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium Enugu.
Dan Onwuegbuna, Director, Information, Ministry of Youth and Sports, Enugu State, said in a statement on Thursday that the games would be held between Aug.
7 and Aug. 10 at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium and the Enugu State Sports Council.“The games is designed to help the state discover talents to represent the state at the forthcoming U15 National Youth Games scheduled to take place in Asaba, Delta, from Aug. 26 to Sept. 6,” he stated.
Onwuegbuna said that apart from representing the state at the Youth Games in Asaba, talented athletes discovered would represent the state in other competitions.
He quoted the Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Lloyd Ekweremadu as thanking Gov. Peter Mbah for approving the games.
Onwuegbuna said that the games was made possible following the collaboration between the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the state Post Primary Schools Management Board (PPSMB).
The games finals followed the outcome of the inter- Secondary Schools competitions held at the local government areas in the six Educational Zones in the State – Enugu, Agbani, Awgu, Udi, Nsukka and Udenu.
“The games will feature athletics, boxing, chess, basketball, volleyball, football, tennis and scrabble,” Onwuegbuna stated.
Super Falcons goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie has been nominated for the 2025 Women’s Yachine Trophy, the Ballon d’Or award for the best female goalkeeper.
The 24-year-old recently joined Brighton Women FC from Paris FC after helping the French side win their first major title in nearly two decades.
Nnadozie delivered a heroic performance in the final of the 2025 Coupe de France Féminine, where Paris FC edged Paris Saint-Germain 5-4 on penalties following a goalless draw at Stade de l’Épopée in Calais.She was also instrumental in Nigeria’s success at the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), where the Super Falcons secured a record-extending 10th continental crown against host nation, Morocco.
Her standout displays earned her the Best Goalkeeper award and a place in the Team of the Tournament.
Other nominees for the Yachine Trophy include Ann-Katrin Berger (Gotham FC), Cata Coll (Barcelona Femeni), Hannah Hampton (Chelsea Women) and Daphne van Domselaar (Arsenal Women).
Nigeria’s Super Falcons maintained 36th position in the latest FIFA women’s world ranking.
The latest ranking was released on FIFA’s official website yesterday.
While the Super Falcons remain the number one team in Africa, WAFCON 2024 runners-up Morocco are third on the continent and dropped to 64th spot in the world.
Former WAFCON champions Banyana Banyana of South Africa maintained 54th place in the world and second in Africa.
Ghana’s Black Queens who claimed third place at the WAFCON dropped to 67th position in the global ranking.
The Super Falcons recently won their 10th Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) after coming from 2-0 down to beat hosts Morocco 3-2 in the final.
Second half goals from Esther Okoronkwo, Folashade Ijamilusi and substitute Jennifer Echegini completed the turnaround.
Okoronkwo, scored a goal and provided two assists against the Moroccans was Named Player of the Match.
Chiamaka Nnadozie was named Goalkeeper of the Tournament while Captain Rasheedat Ajibade won the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award.
Meanwhile, World champions Spain (1st, up 1) had an impressive run to the final of the UEFA Women’s EURO 2025 with five back-to-back wins, which was enough to see them reclaim top spot in the ranking, a position they previously held from December 2023 to June 2024.
The USA (2nd, down 1) have therefore been knocked off their perch, which they had occupied since August 2024.
However, three convincing home wins in friendlies during this period have kept the USA in contention, and they are now sitting less than two points behind Spain.
The top 10 has been shaken up completely since the June edition of the ranking, with France (6th, up 4) performing best among them.
France completed a flawless group stage at the European Championship before falling to Germany in the quarter-finals.
The next edition of the Women’s World Ranking will be published on 11 December 2025.
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