The Super Eagles played their first friendly match ahead of AFCON against Coton Sport of Cameroon.
Goals from Ahmed Musa and Samuel Chukwueze ensured a routine win for the three-time champions.
The Super Eagles of Nigeria are in Garoua, putting final touches on preparations for the Africa Cup of Nations. The tournament, which kicks off on January 9, pitches the Super Eagles in the same group with seven-time champions Egypt, Sudan and Guinea Bissau.
The Nigerian team landed in Garoua on Wednesday night with 25 players. Odion Ighalo, Tyrone Ebuehi and Jamilu Collins failed to make the party.
The absence of Odion Ighalo and Victor Osimhen has many wondering how the goals will arrive for the team.
The Super Eagles interim coach is unperturbed but believes he has a squad good enough to challenge for the biggest trophy in Africa. The gaffer who led the Super Eagles to bronze in 2006 has remained calm and continued his plans for a successful outing in Cameroon.
On Friday, the Super Eagles continued their quest for the title with a warm-up match to fine-tune their strategies for the competition. They secured a comfortable win over Coton Sport of Cameroon.
Nigeria in a tune-up match
With the tie against the Super Eagles about 72 hours away, the Super Eagles played a tune-up match on Friday. The three-time winners of the tournament will confront seven-time winners, the Pharaohs of Egypt, who boast arguably Africa’s best player Mohammed Salah on Tuesday.
Due to the pandemic induced conditions, the Super Eagles have not had any friendly matches. On Friday, they warmed up against Coton Sport of Cameroon. The Cameroonian club with great history was supposed to give the Super Eagles a test, but it was a comfortable victory for Nigeria.
It was a win that sent signals to the rest of the pack that the Super Eagles would not be a walkover for any team. They beat Coton Sport 2-0 to show their preparedness for the tournament.
How it happened
It was a game of two halves that saw Eguavoen field two different teams. The friendly match against Cameroon’s 15-time champions was aimed at fine-tuning strategies and discovering the best 11 to play.
Eguavoen started Kenneth Omeruo and William Troost-Ekong as centre-back pairings, while Ola Aina and Zaidu Sanusi played fullbacks. Wilfred Ndidi, Joe Aribo and Kelechi Iheanacho played in the midfield, while Chidera Ejuke and Ahmed Musa operated from the flanks. Taiwo Awoniyi played top to complete the lineup.
The second half saw a different lineup with only Zaidu Sanusi and Alex Iwobi, who came on midway into the first half for Ahmed Musa keeping their places.
In the second half, Francis Uzoho played in goal. Olisa Ndah and Semi Ajayi replace Kenneth and Ekong as centre backs. Chidozie Awaziem played in the second half.
Frank Onyeka, Kelechi Nwakali and Alex Iwobi marshalled the midfield in the second half, as Moses Simon and Samuel Chukwueze played alongside Sadiq Umar in the attack. Henry Onyekuru later came on for Alex iwobi.
The first half saw Ahmed Musa putting the Super Eagles ahead, while Samuel Chukwueze completed the win with a second-half goal.
This article was most recently revised and updated 3 years ago
