The Super Eagles defeated Guinea-Bissau 1-0 thanks to a crucial goal from Moses Simon to reclaim first place in Group A of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification round.
When Guinea-Bissau defeated a star-studded Nigeria team in Abuja on Friday, they pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the qualifying round and passed the Eagles as the group leaders.
On matchday four, the Djurtus were optimistic they could put up a similar display at the Estadio 24 de Setembro.
Nonetheless, the Super Eagles were once again the superior team in the opening minutes, producing the better chances to open the scoring after that heartbreaking home loss.
On the other hand, the first goal came at the halfway point from the penalty spot.
Nigeria’s finest player in the first leg, Bright Osayi-Samuel, won the penalty kick after displaying bravery to advance, challenge his defender, and draw the foul.
Moses Simon, a forward for Nantes, accepted the responsibility and executed the conversion skillfully, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way and the opposition side into jubilation.
Nigeria was unable to score another goal before the half due to wasteful finishing.
In the second half, the plot remained unchanged. Osimhen had two opportunities to increase Nigeria’s lead in the first 15 minutes, but his first attempt hit the goalpost and his second missed the goal by a little margin.
The Napoli striker continued to pose a threat to the Guinea-Bissau’s defense and missed another shot with only the goalkeeper to contend with.
When Aribo replaced Terem Moffi, he appeared energised and his interaction with Simon caused the home team a lot of issues, but none of the chances they generated were converted.
Even though it was a close victory, the Super Eagles’ nine points from four games were enough to return them to the top of Group A.
The three-time African champions lead Guinea-Bissau by two points and Sierra Leone by four points after the latter team’s 2-0 victory against Sao Tome and Principe in the other group match.
Nigeria still has to play Sao Tome and Principe at home and Sierra Leone on the road, but if the Eagles win both games and avoid losing, they will be guaranteed a spot in the 2019 AFCON.