Full time: Nigeria 1-1 Equatorial Guinea
A terrific result and defensive effort from EQ, while Nigeria showed a few flashes but were otherwise laboured and poor.
F.T: Nigeria 1-1 Equatorial Guinea
Full-time
The ball eventually heads out for a corner, but I’m not sure there will be chance to take it.
95 mins:Â Equatorial Guinea are looking to finish with a flourish as they force a corner deep into second-half stoppage time.
A return delivery is looped up into the air and it’s solid goalkeeping from Nwabali to deny and win a free-kick off Nsue.
93 mins:Â Chukwueze can’t release Osimhen in added time and another golden Nigeria chance is wasted.
Goalscorer Salvador off for Equatorial Guinea, Luis Nlavo on.
Nigeria have replaced Iwobi with the towering Paul Onuachu.
90 mins:Â Into SIX minutes of added time at the end of this game.
Can Equatorial Guinea hold on?
86 mins:Â Jose Machin off, Santiago Eneme on is Equatorial Guinea’s latest change.
They are doing a very effective job of killing the clock here.
Time is very rapidly running out for the Super Eagles.
84 mins:Â Chukwueze and Salvador square up to each other after a meaty challenge as tempers flare.
Balboa into the book for Equatorial Guinea.
82 mins:Â Nigeria have a chance to swing in a free-kick from out wide, but they can’t make it count.
76 mins:Â A huge miss from Osimhen as we enter the final 15 minutes in Abidjan!
He’s sent through again and this time he’s onside as he horribly pulls a right-footed shot well wide of the near post.
You would bank on the recently-crowned African Footballer of the Year to score those 99 times out of a hundred. How costly could that be?
74 mins:Â A double change from Equatorial Guinea now.
68 min changes: Nigeria remove Yusuf and the disapppointing Simon, replacing them with Chukwueze and Aribo.
65 min Goodness me, Sanusi is booked for timewasting at a throw, when his side are chasing a goal. I don’t know, he was waiting for a decent run, but running down the clock he was not.
60 min Nice from EQ, Salvador and Ganet combining just outside the Nigeria box, but Ajayi quickly closes the door.
55 min Here come Nigeria again, Lookman finding Osimhen in down the left! But again, Owono is out early, this time to the edge, unfurling a huge wingspan to block the attempted lift over him.
50 min Nice from Nigeria, Iwobi moving on to Simon out wide, who clips back to the edge, where Yusuf – playing well on debut – cushions a first-time volley in behind by way of return pass. Simon, though, doesn’t quite read it, and by the time he cottons on, the chance to do something with it has gone.
46 min We go again…
H.T: The Referee signals the end of first half.
45 mins: Osimhen clatters into Esteban and picks up a knock, but he seems fine to continue.
Four minutes of added time have been signalled at the end of this first half.
43 mins:Â The contest has rather settled back into a slower pace since those two quick-fire goals.
No more chances to speak of just yet with half-time quickly approaching.
GOAL! Nigeria 1-1 Equatorial Guinea | Victor Osimhen 37′
37 mins:Â WOW! Nigeria hit back in less than a minute!
Lookman’s deflected cross loops in the air and is headed down and in from point-blank range by Osimhen, who was clearly onside.
All square again in the blink of an eye!
A quiet game has real lift off now.
GOAL! Nigeria 0-1 Equatorial Guinea | Iban Salvador 36′
36 mins:Â How about that! Equatorial Guinea have a shock lead!
Nigeria can’t clear their lines on the edge of the box and it’s lovely feet from Jose Machin to fool the defender and pick out Salvador, who sends the goalkeeper the wrong way with a crisp strike.
Nigeria stunned.
32 mins:Â Danger for Equatorial Guinea as Moses Simon shows his trickery out wide, but it’s solid defending to thwart his attempted delivery from the right.
Lookman then fires in a very dangerous low ball that is deflected into the air before being dealt with by Alaves goalkeeper Owono.
A little burst of intention from Nigeria there with their performance having otherwise gone quite flat.
29 mins:Â Ola Aina’s lofted cross picks out Osimhen, who has to try and generate all the power on the header and sends it wide of the back post. He felt he was fouled in the box there.
Yusuf then falls painfully after a not-so-subtle shove in the back. He quickly returns to his feet.
27 mins:Â The first yellow card of the afternoon goes to Equatorial Guinea midfielder Bikoro for scything down Ademola Lookman.
That’s followed by a drinks break amid the searing heat and humidity in Abidjan.
25 mins:Â Equatorial Guinea are getting a foothold in this game now as Jose Machin drills wide from the edge of the box following the corner, with Federico Bikoro allowing the ball to travel under his leg rather than trying to divert it goalwards.
24 mins:Â Terrific play from the veteran Equatorial Guinea captain Nsue to race onto a hopeful long punt into the right channel and get the better of Ajayi by the touchline before battling to earn his team a corner.
22 mins:Â Osimhen is sent clean through by a simple low pass for Nigeria, charging into the box before his low shot is tipped just wide of the far post by the fingertips of Owono.
Once again though the offside flag is raised against the Napoli marksman, who made his move just a fraction too early.
Everything is set for an exciting kickoff as Nigeria enter the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations arena against Equatorial Guinea.
This highly-anticipated match has stirred immense interest among fans across Africa. Sunday’s clash marks the first-ever encounter between these two nations at the biennial African showpiece, setting the stage for an intense battle.
The Super Eagles are geared up to seize the advantage in this inaugural match.
Equatorial Guinea, led by Juan Micha, enter the fixture with high hopes, maintaining an unbeaten streak in their last ten competitions. The team’s resilience was evident, with their last defeat against Tunisia on June 2, 2022, where Youssef Msakni’s second-half brace led to a remarkable 4-0 victory at the Stade Olympique Hammadi Agrebi in Rades.
Stay tuned to Truth Live News for live coverage of this thrilling encounter. Don’t miss a moment of the action as the Super Eagles aim for victory in this historic face-off against Equatorial Guinea.