AFCON 2023: William-Troost Ekong Strikes as Super Eagles Stun Elephants! [VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS]

The Super Eagles of Nigeria have stun tournament hosts Ivory Coast to maintain their unbeaten start to 2023 AFCON, LCSoccerHub Reports.

William-Troost Ekong came to the rescue for the three-time African champions, who were sweltering under the weight of Ivory Coast’s dominant display.

Roared to dominance by a mammoth home crowd at the Olympic Stadium of Ebimpe, the Elephants held the Super Eagles to ransom with a top-level and clinical performance. They dominated proceedings, building play from the back, and sustaining pressure on the Super Eagles backline.

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After a marathon of pressure, they came close to an opener after a defensive blunder by the Super Eagles but Nwabali came to the rescue, placing his body on the line to deflect the shot for a corner kick.

On the other hand, Nigeria made little progress contesting with the pace, possession, and offensives of the Elephants. The Super Eagles depended on counter attacks to make the difference.

Both sides failed short of clear chances in the game as the first half ended barren.

Against the run of play, the Super Eagles took the lead in the 55th minute, thanks to a spotkick goal by William-Troost Ekong after Victor Osimhen was brought down in the box.

After the goal, Ivory Coast ramped up their attempts to level the score but it was still a dead end in Nigeria’s final third.

Coming under intense pressure, the Super Eagles committed more bodies backward and successfully thwarted advances by the hosts.

Both sides made late changes in the game with Nigeria enforcing their defense while the Elephants introduced more attackers.

With a few minutes left to play, the Super Eagles held on to the narrow lead despite coming under intense pressure to bag all three points after the final whistle.

The win takes the three-time African champions to second in Group A with 4 points, behind Equatorial Guinea with same number of points but a superior goal difference.

Video Highlights

https://youtu.be/OoWwMj7xImY?si=yksl8HNHugXXJNRG