The Super Eagles of Nigeria has taken its campaign further at the ongoing African Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast after taking the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon to the cleaners last night with a commanding 2 goals to nil victory to secure a place in the quarter finals of the competition.
The Super Eagles’ temerity to make it this far have been likened to a popular slang among the youth of the country, “No gree for anybody”, which loosely means not letting anyone bully or cheat you.
Although not a recent development, the pidgin English phrase “No gree for anybody” and its variations have gained traction since the beginning of the year, serving as a rallying cry for self-reliance and resilience amidst adversity which so far connotes the Super Eagles campaign at the AFCON in Ivory Coast.
Nigeria has not had a smooth sailing campaign at the ongoing competition but has been able to progress further to the quarter finals amid all the hurdles. For context, prior to the two goals scored against Cameroon in the last 16 game, Nigeria had only three goals in the group stage, one of the lowest goals scored among the teams in the last 16.
Equatorial Guinea had nine goals, Senegal (8), Cape Verde (7), Angola and Egypt both had six goals apiece. While Morocco had 5 goals coming from the group stage.
Nigeria vs Cameroon rivalry
The Super Eagles of Nigeria has had 14 competitive face off with the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon, winning seven and having three draws. However, Cameroon has denied Nigeria three AFCON titles in 1984, 1988 and 2000 finals respectively.
Last night, Ademola Lookman scored twice, putting a dent on Cameroon’s campaign and securing Nigeria’s spot in the AFCON quarter finals with a 2-0 victory over Cameroon in the round of 16 last night.
“We’re into the quarterfinals and we’ve worked so hard to be there,” Lookman said. “We’re behind each other and we don’t take anything for granted. And I think it shows in our work ethic, how we fight for each other, how we defend, how we attack. So that’s the way we celebrate.”
Improved defensive solidity
Coming into the AFCON competition, Nigeria had a shaky defensive setup, conceding 15 goals in 10 games (AFCON qualifiers, World Cup qualifiers and friendly games).
Nigeria was also held to a one all draw in its first AFCON match against group leaders, Equatorial Guinea. However, the country has continued to persevere and build momentum, winning its next three games in the competition.
Next opponent: Angola
Nigeria will play against Angola in the next round in Abidjan next Friday, following Angola’s 3-0 win over Namibia in Bouake earlier on the same day in the knockout round opener.
Angola has one of the best offensive and defensive teams in this campaign, scoring nine goals going into the quarter finals and conceding just three.
The Black Antelopes of Angola have only beaten the Super Eagles once in five face offs, which led to their first and only World Cup participation in 2006 in Germany.
