Nigeria came from behind on Sunday afternoon at Ebimpe’s Alassane Ouattara Olympic Stadium to force a 1-1 draw against Equatorial Guinea in their Group A opener of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
It was a match that saw the three-time African champions miss several scoring chances, with Equatorial Guinea taking the lead in the 36th minute through Iban Salvador.
However, the Super Eagles were quick to respond with a Victor Osimhen close-range header two minutes later from an Ademola Lookman cross.
Speaking after the match, Super Eagles coach Jose Peseiro said his side played well but they were just unlucky.
“We hoped to win this match and we did everything to win. Our team was better than that of Equatorial Guinea but we lacked luck,” he said.
Peseiro who has a star-studded side added that he hopes the Super Eagles will score many goals in their next match.
“I am not happy. I deserved to win, this draw doesn’t suit us. Our team created a lot of chances but we didn’t score. We hope that next time, even with fewer opportunities, we will score. We simply have to improve our finishing,” he said.
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Nigeria’s next match will be against Ivory Coast, who opened their campaign with a 2-0 win over Guinea-Bissau on Saturday evening.
Equatorial Guinea, on the other hand, will be encouraged by the point when they face a wounded Guinea-Bissau.
Ivory Coast leads Group A, while Equatorial Guinea and Nigeria are a point ahead of Guinea-Bissau.
