Nigeria vs Equatorial Guinea: 4 things we learnt as Super Eagles fail to win

Nigeria were held to a 1-1 draw by Equatorial Guinea in their opening 2023 Africa Cup of Nations game on Sunday.

Ivan Salvador opened the scoring with a fine finish to stun the Super Eagles.

But the three-time African champions were level within two minutes, with Victor Osimhen rising highest to head home Ademola Lookman’s cross.

There were no goals in the second half of the game.

So, what are the four things we learnt from the encounter?

1. Equatorial Guinea are no pushovers: Juan Micha’s men have a track record of being giant killers. And they almost shocked the Super Eagles today. They face Guinea-Bissau next and could be top of Group A by the time Ivory Coast vs Nigeria kicks off.

2. Nigeria face an uphill task: The Eagles did not look like a serious team against Equatorial Guinea. It does not help that they face the hosts in their second game. A poor result against the Elephants, and the alarm bells will be loudly ringing amid the possibility of an early exit.

3. Peseiro is still tactically limited: Again, Jose Peseiro looked tactically inept, as he failed to either inspire his players or make game-changing substitutions. Nigeria looked like a badly coached team, bereft of ideas and a will to win.

4. Osimhen has to do better: Most of the Super Eagles’ hopes lay squarely on the shoulders of Victor Osimhen. And although the Napoli striker levelled the scores, he missed gilt-edged chances that would have secured all three points. Osimhen has two more fixtures to live up to his billing as the team’s talisman.