AFCON: Guinea Bissau own goal books Nigeria’s knockout spot

An own goal by Opa Sangante in the first half was enough to secure a 1-0 victory for Nigeria over Guinea-Bissau on Monday, booking the Super Eagles’ place in the knockout stages of the Africa Cup of Nations. Despite a spirited performance from the winless Djurtus, Nigeria held on to claim three points and finish second in Group A behind leaders, Equatorial Guinea.

The match proved a tense encounter between the three-time AFCON winners and a Guinea-Bissau side seeking their first-ever tournament victory. The Djurtus started brightly against their more fancied opponents but found themselves behind when Sangante inadvertently turned the ball into his own net in the first half.

With their knockout qualification appearing locked in, Nigeria seemed content to hold onto their solitary goal advantage, and striker Victor Osimhen missed a gilt-edged header on the stroke of halftime. The second period brought end-to-end action, and the Super Eagles thought they had doubled their lead only to see Osimhen’s tap-in ruled out for handball.

As the clock wound down, Guinea-Bissau almost snatched a draw through Franculino, before seeing their celebrations cut short by an offside flag. Nigeria had a goal of their own chalked off soon after, as a tense finale ensued. Ultimately though, the Super Eagles did enough to claim three vital points.

While Nigeria can look ahead to the knockout rounds, Guinea-Bissau exit AFCON 2024 without a single win or goal scored for the fourth tournament in a row. Their miserable run of results now stretches an astonishing 12 matches.