The Super Eagles of Nigeria started their 2017 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying campaign with a comfortable 2-0 win over Chad in Kaduna on Saturday.
The Group G fixture was Coach Stephen Keshi’s first game since his return to the Super Eagles’ fold following a long contract re-negotiation.
Nigeria took control of the game in the opening minutes but couldn’t break down the Chadian defence. It took 60 minutes for Nigeria to finally penetrate the Chadian defence; thanks to Gbolahan Salami.
Watford striker, Odion Ighalo won a penalty ten minutes from time to confirm the win but Nigeria had to finish with 10 men after Lazio midfielder, Ogenyi Onazi was given marching orders for pushing an opponent moments after the penalty was awarded.
Nigeria missed out on a place in the 2015 edition of AFCON in Equatorial Guinea, which was won by Ivory Coast, after a horrendous qualifying campaign. This led to the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) overhauling the Super Eagles coaching team but they decided to reinstate Keshi as head coach after a protracted contract negotiation.
Other AFCON results:
Ghana 7-1 Mauritius
South Africa 0-0 Gambia
Mozambique 0-1 Rwanda
Algeria 4-0 Seychelles
Guinea 2-1 Swaziland
Tunisia 8-1 Djibouti
Morocco 1-0 Libya
Mali 2-0 Sudan
Senegal 3-1 Burundi
Zimbabwe 2-1 Malawi
Uganda 2-0 Botswana
Zambia 0-0 Guinea-Bissau
Angola 4-0 Central African Republic
Cape Verde 7-1 Sao Tome
