2019 AFCON: Nigeria Is The First Country To Advance To The Round Of 16

Yesterday, Nigeria managed to keep a clean sheet in their second group game at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). Thanks to a lone goal against Guinea, the team was able to bag six points and, by doing so, has become the first country to advance to the round of 16 in the tournament.

(Photo: AFP)

The goal came in the second half of the game, courtesy of Kenneth Omeruo, who was quick enough to convert a header that came through Moses Simon’s corner kick. The scoreline for the Guinea game would have increased in favour of Nigeria, if not for a ton of good chances that were missed.

So, it’s more than a little disappointing that the Super Eagles didn’t show out against Guinea like fans were expecting. While there’s no doubt that the team was more organised in this game than they were against Burundi, it’s clear that the Super Eagles needs to buckle up.

The Super Eagles have been grinding through games since the tournament started. We hope that it’s a repeat of their 2013 outing, in which they started off slow but ended up winning the trophy. Right now, they have one group game to spare – and that will be on Sunday against Madagascar.