AFCON 2023: Super Eagles labour to victory over Lone Stars

The Super Eagles yesterday laboured to a 2-1 victory over the Lone Stars of Sierra Leone in the Match Day 1 of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification series at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja. The visitors had stunned the three-time African champions in the 10th minute when Jonathan Morsay scored a stunning […]

The Super Eagles yesterday laboured to a 2-1 victory over the Lone Stars of Sierra Leone in the Match Day 1 of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification series at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja.

The visitors had stunned the three-time African champions in the 10th minute when Jonathan Morsay scored a stunning goal with a diving header from a pin-point pull-out from Alhassan Koroma.

Four minutes later, the guests nearly doubled their lead but Nigeria were spared going down again when the ball hit the woodwork to the relief of the Super Eagles.

However, in the 16th minute, Nigeria were level when an exchange of passes between Alex Iwobi and Moses Simon ended with the former emphatically finding the far corner of goalkeeper Mohamed Kamara’s post.

With five minutes remaining in the first half, Victor Osimhen scored Nigeria’s second when he drove the ball into the roof of the net from a Simon header off Ola Aina’s cross from the right.

In the second half, the game flowed from one end to the other, but Nigeria should have made it 3-1 in the 58th minute when Iwobi and Osimhen carved open the visitors’ defence, only for Samuel Chukwueze to get too much purchase on his shot and drag it wide.

Aribo, Osimhen and substitute Ademola Lookman all missed chances as Nigeria pushed for another goal, but in added time, it took Aribo’s last-second intervention to deny the Leone Stars.

The Eagles are second in Group A, as they head to Agadir, Morocco for their Day 2 encounter against the ‘The Falcons and True Parrots’of São Tomé and Príncipe on June 13.