Olusesan Oba
The Super Eagles will clash with the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon in the round of 16 of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations after the central Africans emerged the runners up in group C after a dramatic 3-2 win over Gambia yesterday.
The Eagles secured their place in the knockout stage after a hard-fought 1-0 victory against Guinea-Bissau in their final Group A fixture on Monday. Despite finishing with the same number of wins (2) and draws (1) as Group A leaders Equatorial Guinea, Nigeria settled for the second spot in the group.
As the runners-up in Group A, the Super Eagles were slated to face the runners-up from Group C. After the completion of the final round of Group C matches on Tuesday, Senegal claimed the top spot with nine points following a 2-0 victory over Guinea. Abdoulaye Seck and Iliman Ndiaye secured the crucial goals in the second half.
Guinea, who initially held the second spot, saw their position slip away with a tough loss to Senegal.
Meanwhile, Cameroon made a late rally to defeat Gambia in the other group match, securing their place as the runners-up in Group C.
Nigeria and Cameroon have clashed 25 times and the Eagles have an upper hand with 12 wins and five loses. Eight of the matches ended in draws.
