Sports

Nigeria’s Super Eagles crash out of Nations Cup

Published

4 years ago

January 23, 2022

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It took an unexpected long-range shot at the beginning of the second half and a red card to Alex Iwobi to end Nigeria’s Super Eagles roller coaster ride at the 2021 African Nations Cup.

On Sunday, the scintilating group stage performances by the Eagles did not matter. While Nigeria topped Group D with nine points in the first round, Tunisia qualified for the second round as one of four best third-place finishers, from Group E.

Coach Augustine Eguavoen named his preferred starting 11 against Tunisia’s Carthage Eagles and the Super Eagles started on the front foot. Moses Simon won Nigeria’s first corner kick after just 30 seconds and Wilfred Ndidi tried a bicycle kick after two minutes, an effort which went wide.

Samuel Chukwueze tried a shot from just outside the box in the fifth but the shot was off target. Despite the initial pressure, it was Tunisia that had the first gilt-edged chance in the 10th minute but Ndidi was well positioned on the line to block Montassar Talbi’s goal-bound effort.

In the 12th minute, Joe Aribo got on the end of Moses’ pass but his attempt at goal was blocked for a corner kick. From the ensuing corner, Ndidi had another attempt as Nigeria tried to score an early goal.

There were some full-blooded tackles in the first quarter of the game as the two sides sized themselves up. Kelechi Iheanacho was shown the first yellow card of the encounter for a slap on Bilel Ifa’s face. Hamza Rafia had a shot in anger for the Tunisians as they grew more confident and had more of the ball possession.

The second half started with Youssef Msakni giving the Carthage Eagles the lead with a well-driven shot that caught Maduka Okoye unawares. It was the first time the Super Eagles had gone behind in the tournament.

A better first touch from Kelechi Iheanacho could have created a shooting chance in the 51st minute. The Eagles were now under the cush as the Tunisians’ defensive setup prevented any clear-cut chances. Eguavoen sent on Alex Iwobi and Peter Olayinka for Iheanacho and Awoniyi but things just got worse for the Eagles.

A studs-on-stamp from Iwobi was deemed worthy of a VAR check and the earlier yellow card was upgraded to a red in the 59th minute. The Everton man was on the pitch for just four minutes before he was expelled.

After this, it was a mountain to climb as the Tunisians took every opportunity to waste time. Sadiq Umar almost got the equaliser in the second minute of added-on time but his effort beat the goalkeeper and dribbled past the post to extinguish the last hopes of the Super Eagles.

So, Tunisia with seven missing players and their coach shocked the Nigerians and march on into the quarter-finals to face Burkina Faso, who had earlier overcome Gabon on penalties.

Related Topics:Nigeria SUPER EAGLES TUNISIA

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Sports

BREAKING: CAF overturns Afcon final result, declares Morocco winner

Published

2 days ago

March 17, 2026

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The Confederation of African Football (Caf) has overturned the result of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations finals and declare MOROCCO the winner of the title.

Senegal beat Morocco 1-0 in the final on 18 January in a match which was overshadowed when the Senegalese players refused to play after the hosts were awarded a stoppage-time penalty with the match goalless.

Following a delay of around 17 minutes, the players did eventually return and Brahim Diaz’s penalty was saved before Senegal’s Pape Gueye scored an extra-time winner.

However, that result has now been overturned by CAF.

A statement by the African Football’s Governing Body said that Senegal are “declared to have forfeited the final match” with the “result of the match being recorded as 3-0 in favour” of Morocco.

Sports

FG fulfils promises as D’Tigress receive national honours, house documents

Published

3 days ago

March 17, 2026

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The Federal Government has fulfilled its outstanding promises to the senior women’s national basketball team, D’Tigress, delivering National Honour certificates and title documents for houses in Abuja.

The presentation took place in Lyon, where the African Champions are currently participating at the FIBA Women’s World Cup Qualifying Tournament.

The move follows a directive from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu aimed at clearing a backlog of promises made to the team following their 2023 Afrobasket victory in Kigali, Rwanda.

The Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Mallam Shehu Dikko, led the delegation alongside the Director General, Hon. Bukola Olopade. Speaking during the handover, Dikko characterized the prompt delivery as a “clear departure” from previous administrations, where state-promised rewards often faced multi-year delays.

“This is a prompt fulfilment of promises made by a President who leads with action,” Dikko stated. “Mr. President is giving every Nigerian athlete a renewed confidence that sports is a serious business capable of changing lives.”

While the physical assets (housing and honours) have been delivered, the NSC Chairman confirmed that the cash rewards promised to the squad are currently in the final stages of administrative processing. He assured the players that disbursement into their respective bank accounts is imminent.

The Director General, Hon. Bukola Olopade, noted that the current administration of President Tinubu is institutionalizing a “reward system” modelled after developed sporting nations to ensure high-performance outcomes.

President of Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF), Engr. Musa Kida, credited the Presidency for prioritizing athlete welfare, citing it as a “legacy of a lifetime” for the sports sector.

Head Coach Rena Wakama and Captain Amy Okonkwo formally accepted the documents, affirming that the timely delivery of these incentives would serve as a catalyst for the team’s upcoming international qualifiers.

Sports

BREAKING: Ex-Eagles captainHenry Nwosu dies aged 62

Published

6 days ago

March 14, 2026

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Henry Nwosu, a former Nigerian international footballer and member of the 1980 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) winning team, has passed away.

He was 62.

His death was confirmed by fellow ex-international Segun Odegbami in a Facebook post on Saturday.

According to Odegbami, Nwosu passed away at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) in Ikeja after a five-day battle for his life.

He also revealed the details of Nwosu’s final days, stating that the man he fondly called “Youngest Millionaire” died at 4:00 a.m. after being in intensive care since Wednesday.

“After 5 days in hospital battling for his life, the one I call ‘Youngest Millionaire’ passed on at 4:00 am this morning at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, Lagos where he had been in Intensive Care since Wednesday,” he wrote.

“It is with deep pain in my heart that I have to be the conveyor of the news of the death of Henry Nwosu MON. May he rest peacefully with our Creator in Heaven.”