SUPER EAGLES END CHAN JOURNEY WITH WIN OVER CONGO

By: Gyang Dakwo

Nigeria ended their African Nations Championship campaign on a winning note as they defeated Congo 2–0 in Dar es Salaam. The result brought some pride back to the CHAN Eagles, but it was not enough to keep them in the tournament since Sudan and Senegal advanced from Group D.

The goals came from Anas Yusuf and Sikiru Alimi, and they gave Nigeria their first and only victory of the competition. Nigeria had lost their opening two matches, so this win could not rescue their hopes of reaching the knockout stage. Congo also had everything to play for because they needed a win to survive, but the defeat left them bottom of the group.

At the same time in Kampala, Sudan and Senegal played out a goalless draw. That result meant both nations finished on five points and moved into the quarter finals. Sudan claimed top spot-on goal difference, while Nigeria ended with three points, only one short of qualification.

The match in Dar es Salaam started with tension as both sides knew what was at stake. The first half was physical and produced few clear chances. Congo came close when Japhet Mankou and Dechan Moussavou missed good headers, while Olamilekan Adedayo tested the Congolese goalkeeper Ulrich Samba.

Emotions boiled over before the break when Nigerian defender Steven Manyo received a yellow card that was briefly changed to red by VAR, but after a review and protests, the referee allowed play to continue.

With the game still goalless at half time, both teams pushed harder after the restart. Nigeria finally broke through in the 56th minute when Sikiru Alimi rose to head the ball into the path of Anas Yusuf, who finished calmly from close range to score Nigeria’s first goal of the tournament.

Congo looked unsettled after that setback, and even though they made substitutions, their efforts lacked sharpness while Nigeria defended strongly.

The contest came to a climax in stoppage time when Congo’s Charles Atipo was sent off after a VAR check upgraded his yellow card to red. From the free kick that followed, substitute Sodiq Ismail swung in a perfect cross and Alimi headed home in the 93rd minute to seal the win.

It was a night of mixed feelings for Nigeria because they finally celebrated a win, yet they knew that their earlier slip ups had cost them a place in the quarter finals.