…Set for dollar windfall from BUA CEO
By Ifeanyi Uwagwu
The Super Eagles of Nigeria today outclassed the Desert Foxes of Algeria, beating them 2–0 in their mouthwatering quarterfinal clash of the ongoing African Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco.
The Eagles recorded the resounding victory courtesy of two clinical goals from Victor Osimhen and Akor Adams in the second half of the match.
The Eagles, playing in their 13th quarterfinal fixture at the AFCON, needed a win to continue their search for redemption and to bury the ghosts of the semifinal defeat against the North Africans in 2019. The Eagles, who had also been in the press for infamous reasons bordering on disunity and a match bonus row, started the match exactly where they left off in Fez against Mozambique, with Iwobi, enjoying a rich vein of form, conducting proceedings in the heart of the Eagles’ midfield.
The Eagles would have taken the lead as early as the 22nd minute when Ademola Lookman’s drive was saved by the impressive Luca Zidane, who was eyeing his fourth clean sheet of the tournament. Zidane was beaten six minutes later as a Calvin Bassey strike squirmed under him but was cleared off the line. Adams also managed to blaze his opportunity beyond the onrushing Zidane and over the bar in the 36th minute. The Algerians managed to keep the Eagles at bay for the remainder of the first half as they also looked to threaten on the break, but their attempts failed to trouble Nwabili in the Nigerian goal.
Nigeria drew first blood just a minute after the restart. The talismanic Victor Osimhen rose highest to thunder home a precise Onyemaechi cross with a powerful header. The goal, his fourth of the tournament, released Nigeria and shattered the fragile balance of the game. Ten minutes later, the Super Eagles struck again, ruthlessly exploiting Algeria’s weaknesses. Osimhen, once more at the heart of it, slipped Akor Adams in behind the defence. The forward kept his composure, rounding Zidane before finishing into an empty net.
Despite a flurry of changes, Akor also had another opportunity to bag a brace following a valiant display from Osimhen, but the Sevilla striker could only direct his header onto the woodwork as the Eagles held on to clinch victory and set up a semifinal date with hosts Morocco in Rabat by 8 pm on Wednesday.
The win means that Nigeria is now the most successful team in the quarterfinals of the AFCON, winning 12 of its 13 appearances at that stage. Their only loss in the last eight was against Ghana in 2008. However, the only sour news for the Eagles is that Captain, Wilfried Ndidi, is set to miss the Morocco clash due to suspension, after he was booked in the 67th minute.
Meanwhile, following the Eagles’ victory, the CEO and Chairman of BUA Group, a major Nigerian conglomerate, Alhaji Abdul Samad Rabiu, has pledged to reward the team with $500,000 if they manage to defeat Morocco on Wednesday. In his X (formerly Twitter) post, he also promised a further $50,000 for every goal scored by the team.
Rabiu further pledged a $1m largesse should the Eagles make it to the finals, with another promise of $100,000 for every goal scored.
