One of the AFCON tournament’s favorites, the Super Eagles of Nigeria in the ongoing African Cup of Nations tournament in Cameroon have crashed out with a 0-1 loss to the Carthage Eagles of Tunisia on Sunday in Garoua, Cameroon.
After the goalless first half, which was dominated by the Super Eagles, Yusuf Msakni of Tunisia broke the deadlock early in the second half, 47th minute, with a powerful drive outside the 18-yard box that beat Nigerian keeper, Maduka Okoye.
The goal by Yusuf Msakni turned the proceedings of the game as the inspired Tunisians, who had a poor outing in the group stage, took the game to the Super Eagles and dominated the match.
The substitutions made by Nigeria’s coach Augustine Eguavoen in his bid to change the course of the game failed to yield any dividends as Everton player, Alex Iwobi, brought in to strengthen the midfield was given a red card less than 10 minutes of his entry into the field for rough play.
Although the introduction of the Ahmed Musa, Peter Olayinka and Sidiq Umar by the Nigerian coach made some impact, it could not secure the needed equalizer as the 10-man squad of the Super Eagles were totally frustrated by the delay tactics of the Tunisians, who cashed in on any close contacts to fall and feign injuries.
The defeat ended the dream of the three-time winners of the AFCON tournament of winning the tournament for the fourth time after the team raised the hopes of Nigerians with the impressive outing in the group stage, finishing with 3 wins and 9 points.
GIK/APA