Nigeria's Super Eagles suffer defeat to Guinea in AFCON warm-up friendly
9th January 2024
Nigeria's national football team, the Super Eagles, faced a setback in their preparations for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) as they suffered a 2-0 defeat to Guinea in a pre-tournament friendly.
The match, held behind closed doors in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, highlighted areas of concern for coach Jose Peseiro and the Super Eagles.
Guinea took the lead in the 14th minute, putting Nigeria on the back foot early in the game.
The Super Eagles had an opportunity to level the score when Moses Simon had a penalty kick, but the Guinean goalkeeper made a crucial save.
In the second half, Nigeria continued to face challenges, conceding a second goal in the 64th minute.
Despite creating some opportunities, the Super Eagles were unable to capitalize on them, with players like Samuel Chukwueze and Chidozie Awaziem coming close but failing to find the back of the net.
The defeat serves as a reminder for Nigeria to address issues and make improvements before their opening AFCON match against Equatorial Guinea on January 14.
The Super Eagles are placed in Group A, where they will also face host nations Ivory Coast and Guinea-Bissau in the group stage of the tournament.
The Africa Cup of Nations 2023 is set to kick off on Saturday, January 13, and will run until February 11, 2024, in Ivory Coast.