Ademola Lookman scored in both halves as the Super Eagles of Nigeria defeated Cameroon to book their ticket for 2023 AFCON quarterfinals.
Regarded as the biggest rivalry in African football, the two teams cross swords at the Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium in Abidjan for a place in the last eight of the tournament.
Cameroon started on the front foot but faced hurdles trying to break down the Super Eagles defense. Meanwhile, Nigeria were more potent going forward despite having less possession of the ball.
A few minutes into the game, Nigeria raced into the lead but the goal was chalked off after review for offside. The Indomitable Lions continued to tinker in Nigeria’s half, struggling to find a way through.
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It was still barren but was just a matter of time before Nigeria’s promising offensives ended with a bang. In the 36th minute, Ademola Lookman came up clutch for the 2013 champions with an opener.
Cameroon did little to mount a response as the Super Eagles went into the break with the lead.
Throughout the game, Cameroon struggled with a numb attack. They failed to register a single shot on target. Nigeria struggled with limited chances as well but were more potent when breaking on offensives.
It was almost barren in the second half before Ademola Lookman struck again at regulation time to double the lead for the Super Eagles.
Trailing by two goals, the Indomitable Lions were teetering on the brink of exit from the tournament as they had 10 minutes of added time to produce what would have been a historic comeback.
Still clueless in Nigeria’s half with no clearcut chances, the Indomitable Lions crashed out of the tournament as Nigeria won 2-0 to set up a quarterfinal showdown with Angola.