AFCON: Eagles Win Over Sudan Came With Excitement — NFF VP, Seyi Akinwunmi

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), 1st Vice President, Seyi Akinwunmi, on Saturday said that the Super Eagles 3-1 win over the Falcons of Jediane came with excitement.

Akinwunmi in a telephone interview with newsmen also commended the positive attitude of the Eagles in their matches.

Newsmen reports that the Augustine Eguavoen-tutored team maintained their perfect start to the 2021 AFCON in Cameroon with an emphatic 3-1 win over the 1970 winners of the tournament.

The Group D’s almost one-sided match played at State Roumde Adjia in Garoua had the Eagles dominate the match against the Sudanese from the blast of the whistle.

The team took an early lead through Villarreal FC’s pacy winger, Samuel Chukwueze, who lashed into the net from a pass from Nantes FC winger, Moses Simon.

The three-time winners of AFCON, 1980, 1994 and 2013, also doubled the lead through Germany-based Union of Berlin Striker, Taiwo Awoniyi, in the 45th minutes.

The Eagles scored the third goal through Moses Simon’s solo run in a quick break after the second half whistle as he shot past the helpless Sudanese goalkeeper, Ali Abu-Eshrein, in the 46th minute.

The Sudanese, however, got a consolation goal from a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) playback which adjudged Ola Aina to have fouled a Sudanese player.

Aina was subsequently punished with a yellow card from the South Africa referee, Victor Gomes.

The resultant penalty by Sudan’s Walieldin Khedr sent Okoye the wrong way to gift the Northeastern Country their first goal in the 2021 AFCON.

Speaking after the win, Akinwunmi, who is also Chairman Lagos Football Association (FA) told NAN that the team had been well motivated to win their matches.

“I am very happy with the win, we have said before the AFCON tournament that the team would approach the game one after the other.

“Fortunately, we now have a second win in our bag. We have told Nigerians that the boys are well motivated to do well in the tournament and they have been showing that.

“We need to win our next match to maintain the momentum. We also don’t want to push ourselves too far by predicting that the team will win the AFCON.

“We are happy with this win and look forward to the next match,” he said.

Nigeria, with a match to play in Group D, has now qualified for the knockout stage of AFCON 2021 after the host, Cameroun and Morocco.