AFCON 2023: Super Eagles Beat Sierra Leone In Abuja

June 9, 2022 Publisher and Chief Executive Officer KABS KANU ACTION NEWS, COMMENTARY, SPORTS, Uncategorized 0

LOSING 2-1 TO NIGERIA IN ABUJA IS NOT A LAMENTABLE DEFEAT –WE CAN BUILD ON IT TO DO BETTER NEXT TIME
By Kabs Kanu
Nigeria used to wallop us heavily at home in Lagos or Ibadan , even in the days of Christian Cole, King Kama, Abu Syrian, Manneh Peters , Amadu Kargbo , Jebor Sherrington and others . Today, things have changed. Nigeria can hardly defeat us. Today, they managed to beat us by a narrow margin, 2-1.
SIERRA LEONE’S FIRST GOAL 
We scored first today, which never used to happen before in Lagos or Ibadan , though we could not hold on to our lead and let in two quick goals. However, all is not lost.
1. We must beat Nigeria in the second leg in Conakry. Nigeria, Ghana, Morocco, Egypt are not soccer giants anymore. We can defeat them , if we are determined.
2. Our second game against Guinea Bissau in Conakry on Monday is a MUST-WIN. We must beat Guinea Bissau who enjoyed a goal feast today against Sao Tome, winning 5-1. They have a big advantage over us right now on the table —Goals aggregate–but if we thrash them and get the three points, the goals aggregate will not count LATER. A draw will not be a good result.
3. Leone Stars have the tendency to play well against strong countries but we often do not rise to the occasion against weaker countries. We must endeavour to beat both Guniea Bissau and Sao Tome across the four matches we have against both countries. If we succeed in whipping these two countries in each of the legs, we are certain to qualify.
4. This is not the time for blame game or bashing the coach. Let us go to the drawing board and do a thorough post mortem about why Nigeria defeated us. We can then identify our weaknesses and correct them.
Let us put politics in the back burner and give our team maximum support and encouragement . I am always proud to be a Sierra Leonean and will support the green, white and blue even in defeat.
BETTER LUCK NEXT TIME, LEONE STARS.

AFCON 2023: Super Eagles Beat Sierra Leone In Abuja

By Sheedah Lawal
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File photo of the Super Eagles.

Nigeria’s Super Eagles on Thursday achieved a 2-1 victory over Sierra Leone in a Day 1 encounter of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification series at the MKO Abiola Stadium on Thursday.

The Leone Stars, who fought gallantly to come back from four goals down to tie the match 4-4 in an AFCON qualifier against Nigeria in Benin City in November 2021, showed they mean business as early as the 4th minute when a rasping shot from Mohamed Turay was tipped over the bar by Francis Uzoho.

Two minutes later, a good pass by Aribo was followed by a teasing cross from Calvin Bassey but Victor Osimhen’s header failed to find the target.  In the 10th minute, a brilliant pass from Sadiq Umar found Osimhen, whose shot drifted away.

At the other end, just a minute after, Jonathan Morsay scored a stunning goal with a diving header from a beautiful cross by Musa Kamara.

Four minutes later, the advantage could have been stretched for the visitors when they hit the upright on another counter-attack.

However, in the 16th minute, Nigeria were level when an exchange of passes between Alex Iwobi and Moses Simon ended with the former emphatically finding the far corner of goalkeeper Mohamed Kamara’s post.

Three minutes later, Kamara saved a strong Moses Simon header, and in the 35th minute, Musa Kamara came close with a stinging grounder as the visitors swarmed forward once more.

Four minutes before halftime, Osimhen scored Nigeria’s second when he drove the ball into the roof of the net from a Simon header off Ola Aina’s cross from the right.

In the second half, the game flowed from one end to the other, but Nigeria should have made it 3-1 in the 58th minute when Iwobi ansd Osimhen carved open the visitors’ defence, only for Samuel Chukwueze to get too much purchase on his shot and drag it wide.

Aribo, Osimhen and substitute Ademola Lookman all missed chances as Nigeria pushed for another goal, but in added time, it took Aribo’s last-second intervention to deny the Leone Stars.

The Eagles pocket three points and are top of Group A, as they head to Agadir, Morocco for their Day 2 encounter against the ‘The Falcons and True Parrots’of São Tomé and Príncipe on Monday evening.

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